THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


ayjLmt^^ 


V.V/WU'*'<>-  * 


MOLLIE    M,    FISCHER 

CHICAGO 


't 


SUNNYBANK. 


BY 


MARION    HARLAND, 

AUTHOR    OF    "  ALONE,"    "  HIDDEN    PATH,"    "  NEMESIS,"    "  MIRIAM,"    ETC. 


NEW  YORK: 
SHELDON    AND     COMPANY. 

1866. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18CC,  by 

SHELDON  AXD  CO^IPANT, 

In  the  Clerk's  OflBce  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


MARION   HARLAND'S   YrORKS. 

Each  "Work  complete  in  1  vol.  12nio. 

ALONE, $1.75 

THE  HID D EX  PATH, 1.75 

MOSS   SIDE, 1.75 

NEMESIS, 1.75 

MIRIAM, .  1.75 

HUSKS, 1.75 

HUSBANDS  AND   HOMES, 1.75 

SUNNTBANK, 175 


THE   CHRISTMAS   HOLLY, 

A  new  and  elegantly  illustrated  book  for  the  holidays.    Ready  in  October. 

SHELDON    AND    COMPANY, 

498  &  500  Broadway,  New  York. 


Stereot^-ped  at  the  Boston  Stereot}i)e  Fouiidrj-, 
No.  4  Spring  Lane. 


^ 


TO 


M.   C.  H., 


IN   MEMORY   OF   THE   AFFECTION   BORNE   HER  BY   MY   DEAD 
*.  AND  HER  LOVING  KINDNESS  TO  MY  LIVINO  CHILDREN, 

AS  IN  GRATEFUL  ESTEEM  FOR  HER  CHARACTER  AS  WO>LiN  AND  FRIEND, 


Cljb  ^olttnte  is.  gtbitatcb. 


603266 


TO    THE    EEADER. 


I  HAVE  the  vanity  to  believe  that  the  many  readers 
of  "Alone"  —  whom  I  account  my  friends  — will  not 
be  sorry  to  recognize,  here  and  there,  an  old  acquaint- 
ance as  they  turn  the  leaves  of  this  volume.  I  hope  — 
less  confidently,  perhaps,  but  earnestly  —  that  they  will 
like  the  familiar  faces  none  the  less  for  the  years  that 
have  gone  over  them  since  their  last  meeting;  which 
have  added  matronly  dignity  to  Ida's  carriage  and  speech, 
left  sly  lines  upon  Ellen's  arch  face,  and  frosted  Charley's 

beard. 

For  the  characters,  plot,  and  general  machinery  of  the 
story,  I  am  responsible.  But  bearing,  as  it  does,  the 
date  of  an  era  of  political  convulsions  and  civil  conflict, 
it  was  inevitable  that  these  should  have  a  certain  influ- 
ence in  determining  the  complexion  of  the  narrative. 
Whenever  I  have  treated  of  such  topics,  I  have  adhered 
strictly  to  the  truth ;  have  stated  only  what  I  knew,  for 
myself,  to  be  fact.  Every  incident,  however  minute,  rel- 
ative to  public  affairs,  or  military  operations,  is  authen- 
1  *  .       (5) 


6  TO   THE   READER. 

tic.  "While  I  would  have  the  interest  excited  by  these 
subordinate  to  that  felt  in  the  development  of  character 
and  personal  history,  I  have  yet  striven,  conscientiously, 
to  present  a  faithful  portraiture  of  the  daily  life  and 
experience  of  those  who  bore  thejieat  and  burden  of 
that  fearful  season.  A  Virginian  myself,  —  one  whose 
attachment  for  her  native  State  is  second  only  to  that 
she  feels  for  her  Country,  —  I  have  infused  nothing  of 
partisan  bitterness  into  the  simple  record  of  what  I  love 
best  to  describe  —  home-scenes  in  the  Old  Dominion. 
If  I  know  my  own  heart  and  motives,  I  have  written 
every  line  —  to  borrow  the  grand,  immortal  words  of 
another  —  "with  chaeity  for  all;  with  malice  to- 
ward none"! 

MARION   HARLAND. 


SUNI^YBAJS^K. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ELINOR. 

February  26,  1861. 
Violets  always  bloom  earlier  at  Sunnybank  than  they  do 
anywhere  else  north  of  the  James  River.  I  found  the  first 
white  blossom,  a  frail,  frightened-looking  darling,  upon  the 
southern  border,  a  fortnight  since,  and  the  double  purple  Eng- 
lish ones  are  now  in  full  blow.  The  whole  garden  is  unusually 
early  in  awakening  from  the  winter's  sleep,  this  year.  Every- 
where, within  its  bounds,  there  are  tokens  of  the  stealthy  but  sure 
advance  of  Spring.  Tufts  of  grass  are  shooting  up  along  the 
edges  of  the  gravel  walks,  and  my  flower-beds  boast  quite  a 
brave  show  of  crocuses,  jonquils,  and  snow-drops.  The  leaves  of 
the  hardy  rose-creepers  have  put  on  a  more  tender  green,  while 
those  of  the  two  stately  magnolias  on  either  side  of  the  gate 
shine  as  if  newly  varnished.  The  Florida  honeysuckles  are 
darkly  verdant,  and  hale  as  though  they  had  never  known  a 
touch  of  frost ;  the  verbenas  are  budding,  while  thyme  and 
lavender  are  none  the  less  fragrant  for  the  light  snows  that  have 
powdered  them  since  their  last  flowering.  Beyond  the  garden 
fence  the  hill-sides  are  fair  to  behold  in  their  covering  of  wheat 
and  young  clover,  and  the  forest  that  girdles  the  landscape"  has 
assumed  the  "  grayish-green  livery  of  Spring."  To  the  south- 
ward, this  is  relieved  by  a  roseate  tinge  that  tells  me  the  maple 
swamp  has  hung  out  its  millions  of  crimson  tassels. 

(7) 


8  SUNNYBANK. 

Oh  !  our  Virginia  is  a  bonnie  state,  and  Sunnybank  is  a  very 
gem  upon  the  breast  of  the  dear  old  mother.  Perhaps  an  art- 
ist's eye  would  see  little  comeliness  in  the  quaint  building  under 
the  roof  of  which  I  drew  my  earliest  breath,  nineteen  years 
ago  —  the  ■  same  roof  that  had  sheltered  my  mother's  cradle 
twenty-seven  years  before  I  opened  my  baby  eyes  upon  this 
bright  world.  But  I  love  every  brick  and  every  beam  of  the 
pile  —  even  the  steep  eaves  and  the  odd  belvidere  that  towers 
above  all.  For  more  than  two  hundred  years  men  of  our  race 
have  cultivated  the  broad  acres  which  our  first  American  ances- 
tor won  from  the  wilderness.  I  like  to  think  that  none  save 
those  of  our  blood  and  lineage  have  ever  pressed  the  soil  with 
a  master's  foot.  The  domain  is  passing  beautiful,  as  seen  in  the 
hazy  light  of  this  warm  afternoon.  I  can  imagine  nothing  more 
lovely  than  the  view  from  my  chamber  window  ;  nothing  in  cli- 
mate more  delightful  than  the  balmy  air  that  fans  my  cheek  ;  no 
earthly  peace  more  perfect  than  the  rest  that  possesses  my  spirit. 

For  I  am  happy  !  I  say  it  lowly  and  thankfully,  folding  my 
hands  above  my  heart  and  looking  up  to  the  soft  blue  sky  — 
softly  radiant  still,  although  the  tears  gently  fill  my  eyes  to  over- 
flowing, as  I  gaze,  and  think  of  the  mercy  and  loving  kindness 
that  have  followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life  up  to  the  present 
hour  of  full  content.  I  do  not  know  how  it  is  with  others  of 
my  age  and  sex ;  but  for  me,  I  feel  that  the  history  of  my 
woman's  life  dates  from  yesterday ;  that  my  nineteenth  birth- 
night  set  the  seal  upon  the  free,  careless  girlhood,  now  swept 
into  the  past  like  some  bright,  uncertain  dream  ;  that  another 
door  is  set  open  for  me  to  enter  ;  another  path  appointed  me  to 
tread  ;  almost  as  if  another,  a  deeper,  richer  nature  were  given 
me,  one  more  capable  of  enjoying  an  existence,  the  wells  of 
happiness  in  which  are  yet  unsounded.  Yes  !  my  girlish  days 
have  flown  forever,  and  if  I  sigh  at  their  flight,  it  is  not  in  sad- 
ness. At  best,  the  joys  of  that  transition  stage  were  fleeting,  its 
views  shallow  and  limited,  its  aims  undefined.  My  face  is  set 
steadfastly,  hopefully,  confidently  towards  the  future  of  action  and 
promise.     Not  that  there  is  anything  in  my  past  which  I  would 


SUNNYBANK.  9 

blot  out  of  memory  if  1  could  —  a  dark  page  I  would  destroy  — 
even  a  passage  I  could  wish  were  erased.  I  should  be  ungrate- 
ful were  I,  by  such  desire,  to  cast  a  slur  upon  the  tender  mother- 
love  ;  the  watchful  care  of  my  father  ;  the  abiding  affection  of 
my  brothers  that  has  surrounded  me  with  an  atmosphere  of 
comfort  and  cheer  from  my  infancy.  It  may  be  that  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  others  have  the  like  agreeable  conceit  concern- 
ing their  respective  households,  but  I  certainly  think  there  is  no 
happier  family  upon  the  globe  than  ours. 

This  came  into  my  mind  with  peculiar  force,  night  before  last, 
when  we  sat  down,  an  unbroken  band,  about  the  supper  table, 
all  glowing  with  delight  at  the  arrival  of  my  twin  brothers,  and 
anticipating  the  celebration,  on  the  morrow,  of  their  birthday 
and  mine.  We  were  just  two  years  apart,  to  a  day.  They 
were  twenty-one  yesterday.  One  smiles  incredulously  in  pass- 
ing from  the  survey  of  their  tall  figures  and  manly  features  to 
Mamma's  smooth  forehead,  abundant  brown  hair,  and  steady, 
bright  eyes.  It  seems  absurd  to  believe  her  the  parent  of  three 
grown  children.  We  are  to  have  Lynn  at  home  altogether  now. 
Having  finished  his  law  studies  in  town,  he  will  enter  into  part- 
nership in  his  father's  practice  ;  in  time  will  succeed  to  the 
whole  of  it,  should  his  life  be  spared.  I  have  heard  Mamma 
say  that  she  never  dared,  during  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life, 
to  hope  that  he  would  outlive  his  boyhood.  It  has  been  this 
delicate  state  of  health,  this  ceaseless  dependence  upon  her 
maternal  cares,  and  the  need  of  constant  vigilance  on  her  part, 
that  have  contributed  largely  towards  rendering  him,  in  a  pecu- 
liar degree,  the  mother-child  of  her  band.  His  love  for  her 
verges  upon  idolatry,  while  she  pets  him  —  I  do  not  say  loves 
him  —  more  than  she  does  the  rest  of  us.  He  merits  it  all,  for 
he  is  noble  as  gentle,  and  beautiful  as  good. 

Yet  if  I  have  a  favorite  brother,  it  is  Ross.  People  call  him 
the  image  of  his  father,  and  they  have  the  same  height  and 
complexion  ;  both  have  black  eyes  and  hair  ;  both  are  erect  in 
figure,  broad-shouldered  and  deep-chested,  and  the  son  has  in- 
herited the  rarely-sweet  smile  that  warms  and  colors  the  father's 


10  SUNNYBANK. 

grave  features  like  a  burst  of  living  sunshine,  also  his  step  and 
voice  ;  but  the  animated,  sometimes  impetuous  speech,  the  lively 
play  of  feature,  the  mobile  mouth,  and  thoughtful  brow, — these 
were  the  mother's  gift.  With  this  combination  of  attractions 
he  could  not  fail  to  become  a  splendid  specimen  of  manhood  ; 
nor  could  I  fail,  in  beholding  these,  to  grow  very  proud  of  my 
handsome,  brilliant  brother. 

Shall  I  soon  forget  how  shocked,  silly  I  was, — how  disap- 
pointed my  wiser  mother  appeared,  —  when  we  received  the  letter 
written  at  the  close  of  his  college  course,  announcing  his  choice 
of  a  profession  —  the  same  letter  that  brought  us  the  news  that 
he  had  carried  off  the  highest  honor  of  the  institution,  and  Lynn 
the  second? 

"A  merchant !  "  I  said,  aghast.  "What  use  has  a  shopkeeper 
for  Latin,  Greek,  and  the  higher  branches  of  mathematics?" 

For  an  instant,  as  I  have  said.  Mamma  looked  disconcerted. 
Then,  as  Papa  read  aloud  the  boy's  reasons  for  his  preference 
of  a  mercantile  life,  her  countenance  cleared,  and  at  the  conclu- 
sion she  said,  quietly,  with  no  show  of  reluctant  conviction, — 

"There  are  truth  and  force  in  what  he  says — do  you  not 
think  so,  love  ?  " 

And  the  matter  was  decided  by  my  father's  hearty  assent. 

I  found  that  letter,  written  two  years  since,  in  my  desk  yes- 
terday, and  took  it  down  stairs  to  show  it  to  Mr.  Wilton.  He, 
too,  after  receiving  a  liberal  education,  has  become  a  merchant ; 
and  I  felt  that  Ross'  emphatic  sentences  embodied  the  views  of 
his  friend  as  well  as  his  own.  That  same  brother  of  mine  has 
a  tolerable  command  of  strong  English  where  occasion  calls  for 
the  use  thereof. 

As  for  example,  I  copy  from  the  letter  before  me  :  — 

"The  state  is  surfeited  with  doctors  —  glutted  with  lawyers. 
As  you  can  testify,  our  own  county  has  two  of  each  of  these 
public  benefactors  to  every  square  mile  of  her  territory,  and  we 
are  no  better,  nor  worse  off,  in  this  respect,  than  are  the  counties 
to  the  north,  east,  west,  and  south  of  us.  Professional  men 
hover  over  and  alight  upon  our  worn-out  fields  like  a  swarm  of 


SUNNYBANK.  11 

lean,  hungry  grasshoppers.  Where  one  makes  a  decent  liveli- 
hood, fifty  others  would  starve,  were  it  not  that  famine  is  averted 
by  a  slice  of  the  patrimonial  estate,  or  a  few  lusty  negroes,  the 
dowry  of  the  brides  who  would  scorn  the  idea  of  allying  them- 
selves with  '  tradespeople/  As  to  ambition  to  excel  in  pur- 
suits which  are  in  themselves  noble  and  elevating,  these  followers 
(afar  off!)  of  Galen  and  Cicero  have  none.  What  is  there  in 
their  daily  life  to  stimulate  them  to  intellectual  effort  beyond  the 
paltry,  wearing  considerations  — '  What  shall  I  eat  ?  what  shall 
I  drink?  and  wherewithal  shall  I  be  clothed?'  There  is  no 
room  for,  or  incitement  to  expansion  of  ideas  and  desire.  They 
dwell  continually  in  the  shadow  of  their  grandfathers'  tombs, 
talking  largely  of  keeping  up  ancient  landmarks,  the  value  of 
old  blood,  and  the  corrupting  tendencies  of  innovations.  Like 
the  trees  in  Pope's  quincunx  grove,  — 

*  Each  alley  has  his  brother, 
And  half  the  county  just  reflects  the  other.* 

"  You,  father,  have  a  fine  estate,  and  have,  moreover,  by  your 
talents  and  diligence  in  business,  placed  yourself  at  the  head  of 
your  profession  in  your  section  of  the  state.  My  proposal  is 
this :  Take  Lynn  in  as  your  partner,  when  he  has  passed  at 
the  bar,  and  suffer  me  to  accept  the  offer  made  me  by  '  Dana 
&  Co.'  of  a  bookkeeper's  place  in  their  house,  with  the  pros- 
pect of  promotion,  in  due  time,  to  a  share  in  the  name  and 
profits  of  the  firm.  The  day  is  coming  when  our  commercial 
princes  will  rule  the  land ;  and  I  find  in  this  prospect  the  more 
cogent  reason  why  gentlemen,  intelligent,  cultivated  men,  should 
enter  a  profession  which  has  been  too  long  given  up  to  the  illit- 
erate or  self-educated  toilers  after  wealth  for  wealth's  sake." 

He  carried  his  point.  It  is  rather  a  habit  of  his  to  have  his 
ow^n  way.  I  sighed  then  over  his  victory — was  so  weak  as  to  be 
eager  in  my  explanation  of  the  motives  that  had  urged  him  into 
this  particular  walk  of  life,  when  the  denizens  of  the  region  opened 
eyes  and  mouths  in  astonishment  at  his  "  extraordinary  taste  ;" 
some  presuming  to  intimate  that  we,  his  family,  must  be  sadly 
chagrined  at  this  "  waste  of  money  and  talents."     Setting  aside 


12  SUNNYBANK. 

the  benefit  and  pleasure  to  him  that  have  already  attended  upon 
his  pursuit  of  his  chosen  profession,  it  would  be  worse  than 
ungrateful  in  me  to  repine  at  the  course  affairs  have  taken.  So 
far  as  man  can  judge,  had  he  studied  law  or  medicine,  he  would 
never  have  become  intimately  acquainted  with  one  whose  friend- 
ship he  prizes  beyond  that  of  any  other  associate,  and  I  might 
never  have  met  him  at  all. 

Eighteen  months  ago  Ross  wrote  home  for  permission  to 
bring  an  invalid  friend,  just  convalescent  from  a  tedious  fever- 
spell,  to  Sunnybank,  during  his  summer  vacation.  Pursuant  to  the 
prompt  and  cordial  invitation  forwarded  in  reply,  he  introduced 
to  us  Harry  Wilton.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  a  frequent 
and  welcome  visitor.  Of  course  he  accompanied  my  brothers 
when  they  came  up  to  the  birthnight  fete.  He  has  never 
seemed  like  a  stranger  to  any  of  us  ;  but  I  have  not  appreciated 
before,  as  I  have  done  during  this  visit,  as  I  did,  especially,  last 
evening,  what  a  restful  confidence,  what  quiet  happiness,  I 
have  come  to  feel  in  his  society.  He  is  not  a  brilliant  talker  in 
the  sense  that  Rolf  Kingston  is ;  he  is  less  of  a  "  ladies'  man," 
as  the  phrase  is  popularly  used,  than  Ross  or  Lynn.  I  suppose 
that  he  would  be  considered  by  most  strangers  as  less  handsome 
than  any  one  of  the  three  I  have  named.  I  met  with  a  word,  the 
other  day,  in  reading  a  new  book,  that  struck  me  instantly  as 
being  most  expressive  of  the  effect  he  produces  upon  me,  and  I 
imagine  upon  every  one  else  who  knows  him  well  —  "  master- 
ful!  "  Master  of  himself — in  thought,  impulse,  passion,  and 
« exerting  through  this  self-command,  this  stanchness  of  principle, 
and  stability  of  purpose,  a  wondrous  control  over  those  with 
whom  he  is  brought  into  close  intercourse.  Yet  his  manner  is 
invariably  courteous  ;  his  voice  full  and  pleasant,  in  ordinary 
conversation  subdued  to  gentleness  that  is  very  winning. 

I  felt  it,  or  the  general  influence  of  his  presence,  to  be  full  of 
calm,  last  evening,  when  he  appeared,  from  some  unknown 
quarter  of  the  room,'at  my  side,  while  Rolf  Kingston  was  weary- 
ing me  with  protestations  and  entreaties.  I  am  afraid,  or  I  ought 
to  fear,  that  I  angered  the  latter  gentleman  by  my  expression 


SUNNYBANK.  *  13 

of  relief  and  ready  response  to  Mr.  "Wilton's  introductory 
remark,  to  the  effect  that  he  liad  been  commissioned  to  ask  me 
to  sing;  for  he,  Rolf,  looked  black  as  night  when  I  laid  my 
hand  within  the  other's  arm,  and  left  him  to  the  undisturbed 
enjoyment  or  malcontentment  of  the  corner  in  which  he  had 
contrived  to  catch  me.  If  he  were  displeased,  the  sensation 
was  not  a  novel  one,  for  I  had  offended  him  deeply,  an  hour 
before,  by  declining  to  accept  the  bouquet  he  tendered. 

"  Knowing  my  passion  for  flowers,"  he  stated,  he  "  had 
ordered  this  three  weeks  in  advance  of  the  festal  eve." 

He  verges  upon  the  pompous,  sometimes,  in  his  set  speeches. 

"  Some  of  the  flowers  were  brought  from  Sa^vannah,  in  com- 
pliance with  my  desire,"  he  added. 

"  My  passion  for  flowers  !  "  He  must  have  detected  a  gleam 
of  it  in  my  eyes  as  they  rested  upon  the  surpassing  loveliness 
of  those  he  held.  A  pink  japonica  bud  formed  the  heart  of  the 
cluster,  and  about  it  were  grouped  rare  and  exquisite  exotics, 
the  like  of  which  had  never  greeted  my  sight  until  that  moment. 
I  uttered  an  exclamation  of  delight,  but  was  recalled  to  my 
senses,  before  putting  out  my  hand  to  take  them,  by  the  expres- 
sion that  flashed  across  his  face. 

"  You  should  have  had  musk-roses  from  Damascus  and  lilies 
from  the  valleys  of  Judaea,  if  they  could  have  been  transported 
safely  !  "  he  said,  in  a  low  tone,  that  brought  back  to  my  mind 
another  scene  and  other  words. 

The  reminiscence  put  me  upon  my  guard. 

"  I  have  lilies-of-the  valley  already,  and  roses  sweet  as  those 
of  Damascus,"  I  answered,  playfully,  holding  up  my  bouquet. 

"  Very  neat !  "  he  said,  condescendingly.  "Are  they  the  prod- 
uct of  the  Sunnybank  conservatory  ?  " 

My  reply  was  an  imprudent  negative,  for  the  question  was 
unexpected. 

"Your  brothers  probably  procured  them  in  the  city  ?  "  per- 
sisted he,  with  a  slight  but  unpleasant  emphasis  upon  the  two 
first  words. 

I  was  vexed  to  feel  myself  coloring  —  more  vexed  that  I  had 
2 


14  SUNNYBANK. 

not  words  ready  with  which  to  reprove  his  impertinent  queries 
without  satisfying  his  curiosity. 

"  It  is  enough  for  me  to  know  that  they  are  here,  and  mine," 
I  managed  to  say,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  seconds.  "  I  have 
not  asked  where  they  grew." 

"  By  which  you  would  imply  that  it  is  sufiicient  for  me  to 
know  that  you  have  no  use  for  other  gages  d^ amour  T^  he 
said,  bending  towards  me.  "  I  comprehend,  and  I  will  re- 
member." 

"  Has  that  fellow  been  annoying  you,  Nellie?"  asked  Ross, 
approaching,  as  Mr.  Kingston  quitted  me  in  a  mute  but  towering 
passion,  carrying  off  his  ill-fated  nosegay  with  him. 

"  He  is  mortified,  I  fancy,  because  I  could  not  conveniently 
manage  two  bouquets,"  I  rejoined,  in  as  careless  a  tone  as  I 
could  assume. 

Ross  is  high-spirited  and  jealously  watchful  of  my  comfort, 
and  I  am  often  overtaken  by  a  nervous  fear  least  ill-^vill  should 
arise  between  these  two  on  my  account.  My  brother  glanced  at 
the  flowers  in  my  hand,  and  smiled,  rather  mischievously. 

"  If  he  persecutes  you,  give  me  a  hint,  and  I  will  rid  you  of 
his  attentions." 

As  if  this  ahemative  were  not  more  to  be  dreaded  than  pas- 
sive submission  to  the  said  attentions  !  And  that  is  saying  much. 
I  experience  positive  mental  nausea  and  bodily  faintness  when- 
ever Rolf  nears  the  oft-forbidden  subject. 

"A  suit  no  longer  —  but  a  pursuit,"  said  aunt  Ellen  to  me, 
the  other  day.  "My  dear  Brownie  !  can't  you  say,  '  No '  ?  " 

I  could  not  tell  her  how  frequently  I  had  said  it,  seemingly 
in  vain. 

He  sought  me  again,  then,  later  in  the  evening,  cleverly  ma- 
noeuvring to  entrap  me  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  piano  and 
the  wall,  and  began  the  dialogue  by  apologizing  for  his  undue 
warmth  in  the  flower  episode.  I  did  not  affect  anger,  for  I  felt 
none,  although  the  words,  "other  gages  d'amour''  still  made 
my  cheeks  burn  whenever  I  allowed  myself  to  dwell  upon  the 
insinuation.     We  chatted  in  a  friendly  strain  for  a  while.     He 


SUNNYBANK.  15 

can  "be  very  entertaining  when  he  likes,  and  except  when  he  in- 
troduces the  one  obnoxious  topic,  I  really  enjoy  his  society. 

"  My  poor  gift  found  more  favor  in  Miss  Lamar's  eyes  than 
in  yours,"  he  said,  directing  my  attention  to  Agatha,  who  stood 
not  far  off. 

"And  appears  to  better  advantage  than  if  I  had  been  the 
recipient,"  I  returned,  gayly.  "  She  has  fine  taste  ;  and  allow  me 
to  say  that  you  showed  yourself  to  be  as  appreciative  of  the 
beautiful  in  animated  as  in  floral  nature,  when  you  bestowed 
your  flowers  upon  her." 

"  I  deserve  no  credit  for  discrimination  in  this  case.  Others 
have  eyes  as  keen  as  mine  where  she  is  concerned.  Her  beauty 
does  not  blush  unseen.  And  that  reminds  me  —  this  Mr. 
Wilton,  this  piano-playing,  French-speaking  storekeeper,  this 
Yankee  Damon  to  Ross'  Pythias,  is  likewise  a  friend  of  Miss 
Agatha's  —  is  he  not  ?  " 

*'  Mr.  "Wilton  was  well  acquainted  with  her  before  she  came 
to  us,"  I  tried  to  say  calmly,  while  my  ears  tingled  with  dis- 
gust and  shame  at  his  ungentlemanly  language.  "  He  was  very 
kind  to  her  father  during  his  last  illness,  and  she  feels  very 
grateful  to  him  in  the  recollection  of  this." 

"  That  is  evident !  "  was  the  sneering  reply. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  I  asked,  looking  up  steadily  into  his 
eyes.     I  began  to  suspect  that  he  was  the  worse  for  wine. 

"Just  what  I  said.  Miss  Elinor  —  that  Miss  Agatha  has  a 
feeling  heart,  and  is  duly  grateful  to  her  early  benefactor.  If 
there  were  any  further  significance  in  my  remark,  it  may  have 
been  born  of  a  passing  thought  that  the  soul  of  this  venerable 
patron,  no  doubt,  swelled  with  compassion  at  sight  of  the  woes 
of  his  interesting  ^^ro^e^ee ;  and  we  all  know  to  what  pity  is  akin." 

The  aim  of  this  innuendo  was  so  palpable,  the  spite  of  it  so 
thinly  veiled,  that  I  laughed  outright. 

"  The  love  which  is  so  nearly  allied  to  compassion  is  hardly 
the  kind  which  Agatha  would  value.  I  would  not  advise  you  to 
repeat  the  substance  of  that  remark  in  her  hearing,  unless  you 
have  a  fancy  for  being  consumed  by  the  lightning  of  her  mag- 
nificent eyes." 


16  SUNNYBANK. 

"  It  is  not  likely  that  I  shall  ever  choose  to  discourse  to  her 
upon  any  phase  of  this  important  theme,"  he  responded ;  and 
before  I  knew  what  he  was  doing  he  had  glided  into  the  one 
odious  channel. 

I  will  not  recollect  this  to-day.  It  seems  such  a  petty  annoy- 
ance, when  compared  with  my  wealth  of  mercies  —  the  gifts  of 
youth,  home,  friends,  love  ! 

I  have  written  the  last  word  with  a  firm  hand,  although  I 
know  that  it  means  more,  far  more,  to  me  than  it  did  twenty- 
four  hours  ago.  There  is  no  \vild  fluttering  of  pulse  or  heart 
when  I  remember  the  brief  quarter  of  an  hour  during  which 
we  stood  together,  apart  from  other  eyes,  beyond  the  hearing  of 
other  ears,  and  the  sound  of  other  voices,  than  our  own.  Each 
incident  and  word  of  the  interview  is  distinctly  stamped  upon 
the  memory,  that  will  hold  them  while  reason  lasts. 

Ross  and  Lynn  had  brought,  as  a  birthday  present  for  me,  a 
fine  colored  photograph  of  the  two,  beautiful  as  to  execution, 
life-like  as  to  resemblance.  This  lay  upon  Papa's  study-table, 
and  aunt  Ellen,  in  extolling  its  merits  to  Mrs.  French,  asked  me 
to  send  for  it.  Partly  because  I  feared  to  intrust  it  to  a  ser- 
vant's care,  partly  because  I  was  weary,  and  heated,  and  dizzy, 
after  spending  three  hours  in  the  heart  of  the  crowd,  I  slipped 
from  the  room,  and  went  for  the  picture  myself. 

I  remember  going  slowly  up  the  broad  staircase,  leaving  the 
murmur  of  the  assembly  below  me  ;  stopping  an  instant  at  the 
window  upon  the  landing  to  look  out  at  the  moonlight,  and  pluck 
a  sprig  from  the  orange-tree  set  there  ;  and  with  this  in  my  fin- 
gers I  entered  the  study.  There  was  a  bright  fire  on, the  hearth, 
and  the  reading-lamp  upon  the  centre-table  was  burning.  But 
the  great  easy-chair  was  turned  away  from  this,  and  in  it  sat 
Harry  Wilton,  his  head  resting  upon  his  hand.  I  must  have 
come  in  very  softly,  for  he  remained  motionless  — as  I  imagined 
asleep  —  until  I  touched  the  table. 

"  Excuse  me  for  disturbing  you,"  I  said  ;  "  I  came  for  this," 
taking  up  the  framed  photograph. 

"You  can  never  interrupt  me,  Brownie  I  '* 


SUNNYBANK.  IT 

He  had  never  called  me  by  my  pet  name  until  now  ;  and  the 
grave  sweetness,  the  inexpressible  gentleness  of  his  tone,  dis- 
pelled my  trifling  embarrassment. 

"  And  least  of  all  times,  just  now  !  for  I  was  thinking  only 
of  you." 

"  Of  me  !  "  I  was  about  to  echo,  wonderingly  ;  but  before  I 
could  speak,  he  took  my  hand  in  his,  and  looking  up  into  his 
face,  I  knew  all ! 

"  I  must  have  you.  Brownie  !    I  cannot  live  without  you  !  " 

This  was  all  he  said  for  a  little  while. 

I  can  shut  my  eyes  now  and  renew  the  impressions  of  that 
interval  of  stillness  ;  hear  the  low  song  of  the  blazing  wood  upon 
the  hearth ;  inhale  the  odor  of  the  orange-blossoms,  growing 
more  and  more  powerful  in  the  warm  room  ;  feel  the  tightening 
clasp  upon  my  hand. 

"  I  said  that  I  was  thinking  of  you  as  you  came  in,"  he  re- 
sumed.    "  May  I  tell  you  my  thought? " 

"  Yes  ! "  I  said. 

"  It  was  a  wish  which  I  have  cherished  for  a  year  and  a  half 
— a  wish  which  has  grown  into  longing  ;  a  longing  which  has 
become  a  part  of  my  being.  The  wish  and  longing  are  that  I 
may,  some  day,  call  you  by  the  holy  name  of  '  wife.'  May  I 
add  to  these  hope  ?  " 

Was  I  unmaidenly  ?  No  !  I  will  not  insult  his  betrothed  by 
the  thought !  His  open  avowal,  simple  and  frank  as  his  own 
nature,  merited  like  candor  from  me.  The  strength  of  will,  or 
character,  of  which  I  have  spoken,  constrained  a  direct  and 
truthful  reply. 

"  Yes  !  "  I  said,  again. 

He  detained  me  but  a  little  longer  ;  and  before  he  let  me  go, 
he  took  the  spray  of  orange-blossoms  from  my  hand,  divided  it 
into  two  parts,  one  of  which  he  returned  to  me. 

"This  I  shall  keep  for  myself!"  he  said.  "I  shall  never 
give  you  up  until  you  send  that  back  to  me  !  " 

But  he  said  it  smilingly,  and  leading  me  to  the  door,  opened 
it  for  me,  and  we  parted. 
2* 


18  SUNNYBANK. 

At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  I  met  Agatha  —  the  glowing  exotics 
in  her  hand,  and  heightening  into  gorgeousness  her  dark  beauty. 

"  Children  of  the  tropics  !  "  I  stopped  to  say,  touching  her 
crimson  cheek,  while  I  pointed  to  the  blended  gold,  white,  and 
scarlet  of  her  bouquet.  "  How  gloriously  you  are  looking  to- 
night !     Your  role  shall  be  that  of  a  priestess  of  Isis  !  " 

Her  answer  was  a  laugh  and  a  nipping  pinch  of  my  brown 
arm. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  where  Mr.  "Wilton  is  ? "  she  asked  with 
the  pretty  imperiousness  she  assumed  sometimes.  "  He  has 
hidden  himself  from  vulgar  sight  for  half  an  hour  and  more ! 
I  want  him  I  " 

"  I  found  him  in  the  study,  just  now,  when  I  went  up  for 
this,"  I  answered,  showing  the  picture.  "  I  suppose  he  is  there 
still." 

*'  You  suppose  he  is  there  still —  like  the  old  woman  who  lived 
under  the  hill !  "  mimicking  my  quiet  tone.  "  What  a  demure, 
discreet  Jenny  "Wren  it  is  !  " 

And  with  another  laugh  she  ran  on  up  the  steps. 

I  believe  that  I  did  not  blush  at  her  bantering  tone  any  more 
than  I  had  done  at  her  direct  question.  All  that  had  passed 
between  Harry  and  myself  belonged  to  an  inner  existence,  so 
sacred,  sealed  so  far  away  from  the  chance  touch  of  the  care- 
less or  curious,  that  I  was  fearless.  Within  ten  minutes  I  had 
learned  to  live  two  lives  —  one  for  an(J  to  the  world  —  the  other 
all  his. 

We  have  not  exchanged  a  syllable  relative  to  this  matter  to- 
day. I  was  busy  helping  Mamma  in  the  forenoon ;  but  aunt 
Ellen,  Agatha,  and  the  servants  were  within  hearing  most  of 
the  time,  and  I  could  not  speak  to  her  of  what  lay  nearest  my 
heart.  Just  before  dinner,  I  met  Papa  upon  the  landing  of  the 
staircase,  in  company  with  Mr.  Wilton.  They  had  been  clos- 
eted for  an  hour  in  the  study  —  engrossed  I  knew  by  what 
subject  —  when  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  Harry's  countenance.  He 
passed  me  with  a  silent  bow  and  a  smile,  and  descended  the 
stairs  with  a  fleet  step,  that  told  the  story  of  a  glad  heart.    Papa 


SUNNYBANK.  19 

stopped,  put  his  arm  about  me,  and  kissed  me  twice,  without 
speaking  —  a  fervent  caress,  more  expressive  than  words.  Nei- 
ther could  I  speak.  I  only  laid  my  head  upon  the  breast  that 
has  been  my  broad  shield  against  danger  and  distress  from  my 
babyhood  up,  and  nestled  there  as  a  bird  might  rest  under  her 
parent's  wing  —  as  lovingly  and  securely. 

This  was  by  the  window  on  the  landing-place  where  the 
orange-tree  still  stood.  We  had  not  spoken  or  moved,  except 
thaj  he  was  stroking  my  hair  gently,  —  his  own  gesture,  that 
means  a  world  of  sweet  things  to  me,  —  when  we  heard  a  door 
open  and  footsteps  in  the  upper  hall.     Then  he  kissed  me  again. 

"  This  is  for  Mamma  !  " 

The  words  swept  the  last  shadow  of  doubt  from  my  mind.  I 
had  dreaded  telling  her  that  I  had  promised  to  leave  her.  The 
footsteps  that  had  interrupted  us  were  Agatha's.  She  probably 
did  not  observe  us,  or,  with  her  accustomed  tact,  forbore  to  in- 
trude upon  our  confidential  talk,  for  she  stopped  at  the  hall  win- 
dow, and  seemed  to  be  gazing  down  into  the  yard  with  such 
intentness  as  not  to  notice  me  as  I  passed. 

I  meant  to  speak  with  her  after  dinner,  for  so  faithful  a 
friend  deserves  to  have  a  share  in  all  that  interests  me  ;  but  she 
has  been  suffering  "vvith  headache  all  day,  and  she  sent  down  a 
request  to  be  excused  from  coming  to  the  table,  or  appeai-ing 
below  again  until  evening.  She  will  allow  no  one  to  see  her 
while  she  is  a  prey  to  these  terrible  attacks  of  neuralgia,  which 
our  good  doctor  pronounces  constitutional.  "When  she  first  came 
to  us,  the  room  assigned  her  adjoined  mine  ;  but  she  entreated 
so  earnestly  that  it  should  be  exchanged  for  one  more  remote, 
lest  her  moans,  at  night,  while  these  spasms  racked  her,  should 
disturb  me,  that  Mamma  gave  her  the  large  chamber  quite  at 
the  other  end  of  the  hall.  I  have  never  told  her,  or  any  one 
else,  how  often  I  have  wept  outside  her  locked  door,  at  the  sound 
of  her  sobs  and  stifled  cries,  not  daring  to  request  admittance  or 
to  summon  help.  Poor  girl !  the  agony  must  be  excruciating 
that  wrings  audible  expression  from  her  brave  spirit !  Without 
the  sanctuary  of  that  locked  chamber,  she  never  utters  a  com- 


20  sunnyba:nk. 

plaint  —  never  hints  of  present  or  past  suffering.  Only  her  wan 
complexion  and  swollen  eyes  testify  to  the  severity  of  the  ordeal 
which  she  has  borne  in  solitude. 

"It  is  past  now  !  "  she  says,  when  I  would  inquire  into  the 
nature  and  extent  of  this.     "  We  will  not  live  it  over  again  !  " 

She  carries  out  this  principle,  courageously  and  consistently, 
in  her  daily  life.  No  cloud,  from  those  early  years,  so  heavily 
overshadowed,  is  ever  allowed  to  dim  the  brightness  of  my 
existence.  I  wish,  oftentimes,  that  she  would  accept  my 
sympathy ;  yet  there  is  something  grand  and  heroic  in  this 
silent  endurance  — 'this  resolute  cheerfulness.  Everything  about 
Agatha  is  on  a  grand  scale  —  from  her  strong,  intense  nature, 
her  fire  of  imagination,  and  deep  capacity  for  love  and  sorrow, 
to  her  Juno-like  face  and  figure.  "Dark  and  rich"  were  the 
adjectives  that  arose  to  my  lips,  at  first  sight  of  her,  upon  that 
midsummer  day,  two  years  ago,  when  she  alighted  at  our  door, 
and  throwing  back  her  crape  veil,  as  my  father  presented  her 
to  my  mother,  acknowledged  the  introduction  to  her  mother's 
"  early  and  best  friend  "  with  a  melancholy  sweetness  of  voice 
and  manner  that  was  an  instant  passport  to  our  hearts.  Since 
then,  our  home  has  been  hers  ;  the  adopted  daughter  of  the 
household  has  been  cherished  almost  as  fondly  as  the  real  one. 
I  have  no  sister  near  my  own  age.  TVee  Carrie,  although  the 
darling  and  plaything  of  us  all,  is  but  a  baby  as  yet  —  just  four 
years  old  last  month.  It  was  a  kind  providence  that  gave  to  me 
this  older  and  wiser  companion,  when  I  was  beginning  to  feel 
the  need  of  such  a  friend.  I  love  Agatha  with  an  affection 
which  it  seems  to  me  that  sisters  seldom  bear  to  one  another. 

The  sunset  grows  more  golden  —  the  air  more  fragrant. 
There  is  a  slight  cloud  of  dust  far  down  the  road,  and  across 
the  fields  I  can  catch,  now  and  then,  a  tone  that  I  recognize. 
Papa  and  uncle  Charley  drove  over  to  the  village  post-ofiice, 
this  afternoon,  accompanied  by  Ross  and  Mr.  Wilton  on  horse- 
back. Lynn  acted  as  escort  to  aunt  Ellen  in  one  of  the  long, 
long  walks  which  she  says  are  essential  to  the  preservation  of 
her  health  and  vigor.    I  clearly  discern  the  forms  of  the  return- 


SUNNYBANK.  21 

ing  equestrians.  It  may  not  be  becoming  in  me  to  say  it  —  but 
nobody  is  any  the  wiser  for  my  opinion  excepting  yourself, 
dear,  discreet  Journal  —  and  I  do  think  them  a  pair  of  the 
finest-looking  men  I  ever  beheld  ! 

I  do  not  care  now  one  whit  for  Rolf  Kingston's  saucy  hit 
about  Damon  and  Pythias.  \Jr  exult  in  the  fact  that  each  has 
no  dearer  friend  than  the  other  —  again,  through  grateful  tears, 
I  thank  the  good  Father  of  us  all  for  the  triple  love  that  at 
once  makes  and  guards  my  happiness  —  the  love  of  parents, 
brothers,  and  betrothed ! 


22  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    II. 


AGATHA. 


Let  me  try  to  set  it  dowQ  just  as  it  happened. 

I  had  dressed  for  the  treble  birthnight  party,  and  no  prevision 
of  coming  woe  passed  between  me  and  the  image  reflected  in 
my  mirror.  "When  I  was  ready,  fully  equipped  from  slipper 
to  head-dfess,  I  sent  the  maid  away,  and,  leaning  my  elbow 
upon  the  toilet-table,  studied  the  picture  before  me  long  and 
intently.  I  should  be  a  dull  scholar  indeed  if  I  had  not  learned 
ere  now  that  I  am  handsome.  The  flattering  tale  has  been  told 
me,  directly  and  indirectly,  —  in  broad,  blunt  pr^e  ;  by  grace- 
ful implication  ;  by  admiring  glances  and  gaping  starers,  —  ever 
since  I  could  run  alone.  My  truthful  glass  now  but  treated  me 
to  a  later  edition  of  the  old  story.  The  amber  silk  robe,  with 
its  black  lace  herthe  and  flounces,  became  me  marvellously. 
Mrs.  Lacy's  taste  is  indisputable,  and  her  expenditures  upon 
myself  are  liberal  beyond  the  limit  of  any  expectations  which 
a  penniless  dependent  —  her  daughter's  foil  and  humble  com- 
panion —  has  the  ghost  of  a  right  to  entertain.  Therefore  my 
new  dress,  —  her  selection,  and  presented  by  her ;  as,  indeed, 
my  very  stockings  and  handkerchiefs  also  are,  —  my  new  robe, 
then,  was  crisp,  lustrous,  and  heavy  —  three  requisites  in  a 
really  excellent  silk.  The  purplish-black  of  my  hair  was  lighted 
up  by  a  cluster  of  yellow  sweetbrier,  which  Elinor  has  been 
nursing  into  premature  bloom  during  ever  so  many  weeks  for 
this  distinguished  position ;  and  the  lace  fall  across  my  bosom 
was  festooned  by  my  one  valuable  ornament  —  a  diamond 
brooch  presented  by  my  benefactors  on  my  birthday,  last  No- 
vember. 


SUNNYBANK.  23 

I  had  always  an  unreasonable  and  presumptuous  hankering 
after  diamonds,  pearls,  and  the  like  perquisites  of  wealth ;  so  I 
accepted  the  gift  with  a  pleasing  show  of  gratitude  and  humility, 
feeling  to  my  heart's  core  the  covert  meaning  of  Mrs.  Lac/s 
reply  to  my  modest  objection,  that  it  should  have  been  Elinor's 
instead  of  mine. 

"  Elinor  is  too  youthful  in  appearance,  and  in  reality,  to  wear 
diamonds.  When  she  is  one  and  twenty,  I  shall  have  mine 
reset  for  her." 

An  adroit  means  of  reminding  me  that  my  mother  had  no 
precious  stones  to  bequeath  to  her  only  child.  If  she  ever  had 
^iijj  —  and  I  have  a  faint  recollection  of  hearing  her  speak  of 
a  set  of  pearls  and  rubies  which  were  the  wedding  gift  of  this 
same  Mrs.  Lacy,  —  they  disappeared  before  I  understood  what 
their  value  really  was. 

"  Brownie  is  too  j[>etite  and  riante  for  anything  so  dignified 
and  fine-lady-like  as  diamonds,"  added  ipy  favorite  detestation, 
Miss  Ellen  Morris,  whom  the  gods,  in  punisliment  for  some 
unconscious,  yet  enormous,  sin  of  mine,  have  sent  hither  to 
pass  the  winter. 

"Poor  me!"  cried  the  spoiled  pet.  "IVith  what  may  I 
make  myself  beautiful,  then,  Aunt  Ellen?" 

"Wild-roses  and  holly-berries  yet  awhile,  you  elf!"  was 
the  answer.  "  What  business  have  mocking-birds  with  jewelry 
more  expensive  than  dew-drops,  I  should  like  to  know?" 

If  there  is  any  one  habit  indulged  in  by  this  family  which 
irks  me  oftener  than  another,  it  is  the  superfluity  of  pet  names 
bestowed  upon  this,  the  elder,  and  for  many  years  the  only, 
daughter  of  Castle  Sunnybank.  True,  the  father  and  the 
mother,  in  speaking  of  her  in  the  third  person,  invariably  style 
her  "  Elinor  ;  "  I  suppose  to  det«r  retainers  and  mere  acquaint- 
ances from  unwarrantable  familiarity :  but,  with  the  brothers, 
she  is  "  Our  Mocking-bird,"  and  "  NeUie,  sweet !  "  or  "  Nellie, 
darling ! "  while  Miss  Morris  never,  by  any  chance,  calls  her 
by  her  right  name.  "Birdie,"  "Fairy,"  "Pet,"  "Rosebud," 
and  a  score  of  other  diminutives,  slip  from  her  glib  tongue  ad 


24  SUNNYBANK. 

infinitum^  and,  to  me,  ad  nauseam.  One  and  all  address  her  as 
*'  Brownie"  —  a  title  that  suits  her  well.  She  is  a  brown  little 
witch,  brown  as  to  hair,  eyes,  and  complexion,  even  to  the 
dainty  fingers ;  to  the  graceful  tapering  of  which  down  to  the 
tips  of  the  rosy  nails,  Miss  Morris  once  directed  my  notice,  as 
an  unmistakable  sign  of  gentle  blood.  Elinor  has,  moreover,  a 
small,  spirited-looking  mouth,  white  teeth,  and  a  dimpled  chin. 
Biante,  Miss  Morris  said ;  but  piquante  would  better  describe 
her  physiognomy.  "Mocking-bird"  is  almost  as  applicable  to 
her  as  "  Brownie."  Gay  or  pensive,  in  thought  or  in  frolic, 
she  sings  with  the  spontaneity,  the  sweetness,  and,  I  honestly 
believe,  the  unconsciousaess  of  the  wildwood  songster  from 
which  the  sobriquet  is  borrowed.  She  warbles,  like  him,  be- 
cause it  is  so  natural  for  her  to  sing  that  she  cannot  help  it.  It 
is  the  fashion  of  the  family  to  applaud  this  habit.  It  reminds 
me  disagreeably  of  a  chamber-maid  chanting  her  roundelay  to 
the  accompaniment  of  dust-pan  and  broom. 

I  heard  her  last  night,  as,  having  completed  my  critical  and 
impartial  survey  of  myself  before  my  mirror,  I  heaved  a  hope- 
ful sigh  at  the  wish  that  I  might  appear  to  one  other  pair  of 
eyes  as  I  did  to  my  own,  and  turned  to  go  below. 

I  paused  outside  the  parlor  door  to  contemplate  the  tableau 
at  the  other  end  of  the  long  room.  The  apartment  is  hand- 
somely furnished,  —  for  the  Lacys  have  taste  as  well  as  ample 
means ;  and,  on  this  occasion,  it  was  decked  like  a  summer 
bower.  The  choicest  treasures  of  the  green-house  had  been 
reserved  to  grace  this  fete.  The  window-seats  were  filled  with 
fragrant  shrubs  and  pots  of  flowers  —  roses,  mignonette,  and 
violets.  Creepers  floated  downward  from  hanging  baskets 
between  the  window-curtains,  and  from  brackets  hung  against 
the  walls.  At  the  farther  extremity  of  the  room  was  Elinor's 
masterpiece.  I  give  her  credit  for  the  conception,  although  I 
pricked  my  fingers  and  wearied  my  spine  in  assisting  her  to 
carry  out  the  design.  It  was  a  miniature  Temple  of  Liberty, 
with  fluted  pillars  of  greenery,  crowned  with  blossoms,  floor- 
ing of  moss,  and  a  vine-covered  roof.     Upon  the  wall  behind  it 


SUNNYBANK.  25 

was  a  monogram,  also  of  evergreens,  blending  the  initials  of 
the  twin  brothers ;  and  over  this  drooped  two  silk  flags,  one 
bearing  the  coat  of  arms  of  Virginia ;  the  other,  the  stars  and 
stripes  of  the  Federal  government.  It  appeared  that  the  latter 
hmig  too  stiffly  to  please  the  architect  of  the  edifice  ;  and,  with 
her  usual  impetuosity,  she  had  mounted  upon  a  table  close  at 
hand  to  coax  the  offending  folds  into  easy  curves.  Standing 
thus,  she  steadied  herself  by  resting  one  hand  upon  Ross's 
shoulder,  while  with  the  other  she  adjusted  the  drapery.  The 
light  from  a  bracket  overhead  fell  upon  her  uplifted  face.  Her 
lips  were  apart ;  her  eyes  were  large  and  eager;  her  smooth, 
brown  arms  were  a  study,  in  curve  and  moulding,  for  sculptor 
or  artist ;  and  the  rose-color  of  her  dress  cast  warm  reflections 
upon  neck  and  cheek.  I,  of  all  women  living,  have  least  cause 
to  depreciate  Elinor  Lac/s  charms.  I  frankly  aver  that  my 
eyes  never  dwelt  upon  a  more  enchanting  picture. 

A  group  composed  of  her  father,  mother,  and  brothers,  Mr. 
Charles  Dana,  and,  of  course,  Miss  Morris,  watched  her  be- 
tween interchanged  glances  of  proud  delight.  A  flower  dropped 
from  the  cipher  under  the  flag,  and  she  staid  to  replace  it, 
warbling  the  melody  I  had  heard  in  my  room  above  :  — 

«  And  the  star-spangled  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

Ross  breathed,  rather  than  sang,  a  subdued  base  accompani- 
ment.    The  Lacys  are  noted  for  their  fine  voices. 

Miss  Morris  ended  the  impromptu  duet  with  her  distinctly 
accentuated  speech :  — 

"  Very  sweetly  sung,  young  people  ;  but  the  melody  is  one 
I  never  admired.  I  suppose  a  fiery  Union-lover,  like  yourself, 
Brownie,  will  brand  me  with  treason  for  saying  it:  but  this 
be-praised  national  ballad  belongs  to  what  I  call  the  gilded 
gingerbread  order  of  music.  Moreover,  it  has  been  worn  into 
threads,  or  crumbs,  by  organ-grinders.  And,  while  I  am  shock- 
ing you  all,  I  may  as  well  ease  my  mind  of  an  observation, 
uttered  confidentially,  that,  in  my  humble  judgment,  this  display 
3  • 


26  SUNNYBANK. 

of  boundless  devotion  to  a  bit  of  bunting,  streaked  with  red 
and  white,  and  bedizened  in  one  corner  with  tawdry  stars  upon 
a  blue  square,  that  inevitably  reminds  one  of  a  boy's  pocket 
handkerchief,  is  very  absurd,  if  it  is  not  wicked  idolatry." 

"  Perhaps  the  stars  and  bars  would  suit  your  taste  better  !  " 
rejoined  Ross,  sarcastically. 

"  I  don't  deny  that  I  had  as  lief  make  a  pagan  of  myself  for 
the  sake  of  one  as  the  other,"  said  the  gay  spinster.  "  I  feel 
more  enthusiasm  at  the  sight  of  a  pretty  silk  dress-pattern  than 
I  could  arouse  by  staring  for  an  hour  at  the  biggest  and  bright- 
est star-spangled  rag  that  was  ever  woven,  even  if  fifty  brass 
bands  were  clashing  away  all  the  while  with  "  Yankee  Doodle" 
and  "  Hail,  Columbia  !  " 

"  '  A  primrose  by  the  river's  brim 
A  yellow  primrose  was  to  him, 
And  it  was  nothing  more,' " 

repeated  Elinor,  stepping  down  from  her  elevation,  and  survey- 
ing her  completed  work  with  a  pleased  smile. 

I  must  grant  her  the  credit  of  possessing  a  generous  and 
equable  temper.     Even  to-day  I  will  do  her  justice,  if  I  can. 

"  Aunt  Ellen,  you  are  an  incorrigible  political  heretic,  and  I 
would  get  angry  with  you  if  I  could.  The  only  reason  why  I 
do  not  cast  you  off  utterly  for  your  treasonable  and  sacrilegious 
utterances  is,  that  I  have  contracted  an  obstinate  habit  of  caring 
for  you  —  affection  second  in  degree  only  to  that  which  I  feel 
for  our  glorious  old  flag." 

As  she  kissed  her  hand  saucily  to  the  banner,  and  nodded 
laughing  defiance  at  the  critic,  a  voice  said  in  my  ear,  — 

"  She  is  a  stanch  little  patriot !     Heaven  bless  her  !  " 

I  must  have  been  unaccountably  interested  in  watching  the 
scene  within  the  room  not  to  have  noticed  that  Harry  Wilton 
was  standing  behind  me  all  the  while. 

"  Come  into  the  porch  :  the  night  is  lovely,"  he  continued. 

I  took  his  proffered  arm,  and  we  made  two  or  three  turns  of 
the   long  piazza  in  silence.     Still  I  was  unprepared ;    so  free 


SUNNYBANK.  27 

from  dread  and  dismay  as  to  please  myself,  eliildislily,  Trith  the 
sweep  aud  '•  swish"  of  my  ample  silk  skirt  against  the  balus- 
trade, the  glitter  of  my  diamonds  in  the  moonlight.  I  gnash 
my  teeth  in  remembrance  of  my  insane  unreadiness  for  what 
was  to  come. 

When  I  can  syllable  the  shock  of  an  earthquake,  or  the  rush 
and  roar  of  the  tornado,  I  may  be  able  to  recall  and  recite  the 
precise  words  that  told  me  of  his  love  for  Elinor  Lacy.  I  have 
written  it,  and  read  it  over  since  it  was  penned ;  and  yet  I  am 
aware  that  I  do  not  believe  it.  Her  lover !  hers !  when,  for 
four  years 

But  let  me  keep  to  my  story.  It  helps  to  steady  my  reason 
to  write  it  out  in  full.  Even  my  nature  must  have  some  outlet 
for  its  confidences,  and  I  have  found  voiceless  paper  a  trust- 
worthy repository  for  these. 

When  my  brain  began  to  recover  its  equilibrium,  my  first 
rational  thought  was  gratitude  for  the  obscurity  of  night ;  my 
second,  self-gratulation  that  neither  sigh,  groan,  nor  word  had 
escaped  me  while  the  torture  was  being  applied.  I  have  en- 
dured, dumbly,  smilingly,  too  much  and  too  long  to  be  surprised 
into  outcries  by  mortal  agony  itself.  But  I  think  —  I  say  it 
calmly  —  that,  if  I  had  held  a  dagger  during  the  moments 
immediately  succeeding  his  confession,  I  would  have  struck  it 
home  to  his  heart  with  a  resolute  hand,  and  then  sheathed  it  in 
my  o^vn.  I  am  thankful  that  I  was  unarmed,  except  with 
womanly  pride  and  its  sv.ift  ally  —  woman's  wit.  Together, 
these  braced  me  up  to  say,  — 

"  This  is  no  news  to  me." 

A  lie  !  Of  course  it  was.  Had  I  never  told  one  before,  this 
would  have  arisen  as  promptly  to  my  tongue.  "Was  there  ever 
a  woman  who  would  have  uttered  the  truth  in  the  circumstances 
that  compassed  me  then?  If  she  ever  existed,  she  should  have 
been  burned  alive  by  a  committee  of  her  own  sex. 

"  I  imagined  as  much,"  he  responded,  affectionately.  "  I 
felt  sure  that  you,  my  wise,  good  sister,  long  ago  divined  who 


28  SUNNYBANK. 

was  to  me  the  chief  among  the  many  attractions  of  Sunny- 
bank." 

The  many  other  attractions  of  Sunnybank,  no  doubt,  inchided 
me,  along  with  the  fruit,  vegetables,  and  healthful  breezes  of 
this  charming  country-house  !  His  "  good,  wise  sister"  secretly 
recognized  and  appreciated  the  compliment,  and,  wliile  doing 
thus,  said,  pleasantly,  — 

"  You  are  assuredly  not  the  chief  of  dissemblers.  I  deserve 
no  credit  for  my  discovery." 

"  I  have  not  tried  to  dissemble  in  this  matter,"  he  returned 
in  the  firm,  even  tones  that  never  fail  to  control  me  in  my  wild- 
est moods.  "  I  have  sought  perseveringly  to  win  Elinor  Lacy's 
affections  from  the  first  week  of  our  acquaintanceship.  I  told 
her  father  as  much  six  months  ago,  and  obtained  his  permission 
to  avow  my  feelings  to  her  when  she  should  have  passed  her 
nineteenth  year." 

Her  nineteenth  year !  and  this  was  her  birthday !  O,  this 
was  terribly  sudden  ! 

"And  you  mean  to  avail  yourself  of  this  permission?"  I 
said,  still  without  faltering. 

"  If  my  life  is  spared  three  days  more." 

"  To-night  ?  "  I  asked,  boldly. 

"  Probably.     Will  you  not  bid  me  God-speed?" 

*'  Who  would  suspect  you  of  being  so  impatient  a  lover?"  I 
remarked,  half  bitterly,  while  I  would  have  been  playful,  and 
still  "  sisterly." 

"  You  forget  that  I  have  waited  six  months.  But  will  you 
not  give  me  your  good  wishes  for' my  success?" 

Did  some  shadow  from  my  begloomed  spirit  reach  his,  that 
his  tone  had  an  anxious  inflection?  At  any  rate,  it  warned  me 
to  aim  after  more  thorough  concealment. 

"  I  do,  most  heartily,"  I  answered,  looking  up  fearlessly  ; 
*'  and  may  you  find  in  her,  love  as  faithful  as  has  been  your 
friendship  for  me  !  " 

"  Thank  you." 

There  was  no  suspicion   now  of  a  hidden  meaning  in  my 


SUNNYBANK.  29 

words.     He  was  too  much  in  earnest  to  question  my  ingenuous- 
ness. 

Two,  maybe  three,  maybe  four  hours  later,  I  missed  them 
both  from  the  parlor,  and  started  to  seek  them.  I  met  Elinor 
coming  down  stairs,  a  spray  of  orange-blossoms  in  her  hand, 
and  a  dreamy  light  in  her  eyes  that  told  me  all  was  over,  despite 
the  contrary  evidence  of  her  composed  voice  and  features,  — 
tranquil  even  while  she  answered  my  inquiry  as  to  his  where- 
abouts. I  fancy  that  I  pinched  her,  as  I  returned  some  silly 
raillery  ;  and  then  I  went  on,  not  towards  the  study,  where  she 
had  informed  me  I  would  find  him,  but  in  the  direction  of  my 
own  room. 

As  I  flew  along  the  hall,  I  heard  him  call  me  softly,  but 
clearly,  — 

"  Agatha ! " 

I  did  not  mean  to  look  around ;  but  I  am  so  used  to  obeying 
him  that  I  halted  and  turned  my  head,  involuntarily.  He 
stood  just  without  the  study  door,  smiling,  and  holding  out  his 
hand  as  to  a  petted  child  whom  he  suspected  of  waywardness. 
I  went  back  to  him  like  a  fawning  spaniel  —  to  him  who  would, 
I  knew,  wound  me  to  the  quick,  perhaps  unto  death.  Before  I 
reached  him,  I  saw  that  he  too  had 'a  cluster  of  orange-flowers, 
the  counterpart  of  those  I  had  seen  in  Elinor's  hand.  These 
served  me  as  a  text. 

"  Auspicious  omens,"  I  said,  pointing  to  them.  "  Will  you 
give  them  to  me  ?  " 

He  drew  them  away  from  my  touch  with  something  very  like 
a  shudder,  although  he  smiled  in  shaking  his  head. 

"  Not  in  exchange  for  all  these? " 

I  held  up  the  richly-rare  bouquet  which  Rolf  Kingston  had 
thrown  away  upon  Miss  Elinor's  humble  friend,  after  it  had 
been  rejected  by  that  disdainful  damsel. 

"Not  in  exchange  for  a  king's  diadem.  Come  in  —  won't 
you?" 

He  pushed  the  door  open,  passed  in  after  me,  and  set  me  a 
chair  near  the  fire. 

3* 


30  SUNNYBANK. 

"  A  new  and  pretty  version  of  the  broken  sixpence?"  I  in- 
terrogated, again  looking  at  the  flowers  instead  of  his  face. 

"  You  have  guessed  it.     Sit  down  for  a  moment." 

I  could  not  support  loverly  rhapsodies  in  my  then  frame  of 
mind,  and  I  pleaded  the  necessity  of  my  speedy  return  to  the 
company  below. 

"  I  am  on  severe  duty  to-night,"  I  was  foolish  enough  to 
add.  "  The  halt,  the  maimed,  and  blind  —  in  other  words,  the 
dull,  silly,  and  bashful  —  are  apportioned  to  me  by  the  Lady 
Manager  of  the  feast.  This  is  one  of  the  methods  in  which  I 
pay  for  my  keeping." 

"Agatha!"  —  he  frowned,  and  his  rebuke  was  sternly  ut- 
tered,—  "  will  you  never  dismiss  these  morbidly  unjust  fancies, 
—  unjust  to  yourself  as  to  the  friends  whose  constant  effort  is 
to  make  you  happy?  Few  orphans  find  a  home  so  pleasant  as 
is  yours ;  few  adopted  daughters  receive  love  so  free  and  fond 
as  is  lavished  upon  you.  I  wish  I  could  convince  you  of  this, 
once  for  all,"  he  said,  softening  as  he  proceeded.  "To-night 
my  heart  is  so  full  of  grateful  joy  that  I  would  have  all  the 
w^orld  happy,  especially  those  whom  I  love  as  I  must  ever  love 
you." 

And  just  here  —  I  can  laugh  now  when  I  think  of  it  —  the 
door  swung  inward  again,  and  appear  JMiss  Morris  at  the 
threshold.  "We  w^ere  standing  upon  the  rug,  and  Harry  had 
taken  my  hand  in  his  fraternal  grasp  in  uttering  his  last  sen- 
tence. My  face  was  bent  over  my  flowers ;  and  I  doubt  not 
that  the  picture  was  a  striking  one.  Evidently,  it  was  the 
reverse  of  agreeable  to  the  intruder ;  for  she  honored  me  with 
one  of  the  sharpest  of  her  sharp  looks. 

"  I  beg  pardon  !     I  thought  this  room  was  empty,"  she  said, 


m  retreating. 


"  I  must  go,"  I  said,  hurriedly,  and  escaped  after  her. 

None  are  so  desperate,  so  reckless  of  others'  opinion,  as  the 
truly  miserable  ;  and,  for  the  rest  of  the  evening,  I  was  extrava- 
gantly gay  —  positively  impudent  in  the  hardihood  of  my  bear- 
ing towards  my  particular  friend,  the  single  lady  aforesaid.    She 


SUNNYBANK.  31 

sought  to  transfix  me  with  her  keen  eyes  whenever  I  approached 
her  ;  was  merciless  in  retort  upon  certain  of  my  pert  speeches, 
and  actually  savage  in  animadversion  upon  divers  of  my  ex- 
pressed views.  I  laughed  in  her  face  more  than  once,  and  met 
every  thrust  with  apparent  good  humor.  But  for  the  counter- 
irritant  of  this  skirmishing,  which  kept  my  wits  upon  the  alert, 
I  must  have  gone  wild,  or  possibly  betrayed  myself  as  ridicu- 
lously as  did  Rolf  Kingston  his  sense  of  discomfiture,  when  he 
glowered  gloomily  upon  his  unfeeling  lady-love  from  a  corner, 
gnawing  his  gloves  as  the  Furies  were  biting  at  his  heart- 
strings. 

Is  it  to  gain  a  like  respite  from  this  cruel  weight  upon  brain 
and  spirits  that  I  find  myself  now  dwelling  upon  the  particulars 
of  the  breakfast-scene,  in  which  Miss  Morris  enacted  a  promi- 
nent part?  or  is  it  a  kindred  impulse  to  that  which  influences 
him  who  fears  he  is  losing  his  reason  to  count  the  panes  of 
glass  in  his  window,  to  assure  himself  that  one  faculty  of  his 
niind  is  still  intact  ? 

I  went  down  stairs,  this  morning,  languid,  unrested,  heavy- 
lidded  ;  went  down,  because  I  dared  not  avoid  the  observation 
of  the  family  and  their  visitors.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lacy,  Ross, 
Lynn,  Harry  Wilton,  and  little  Carrie,  were  already  assembled 
about  the  table  ;  and  Elinor  entered  just  as  I  was  replying  to 
Mrs.  Lacy's  queries  regarding  my  headache. 

"  We  need  ask  no  questions  about  your  health,"  said  Ross  to 
his  sister,  in  undisguised  fondness. 

The  regards  of  all  being  directed  to  her  by  this  remark,  she 
blushed  as  redly  as  did  the  geranium-blossom  of  her  breast-knot. 
For  myself,  I  stared  at  the  girl  in  amazement.  I  had  not 
believed  it  possible  for  even  a  cold-blooded,  unromantic  woman 
to  enjoy  such  child-like,  refreshing  slumber,  as  had  evidently 
been  hers  on  the  night  succeeding  her  betrothal  to  the  man  of 
her  heart.  Her  eyes  were  clear  and  soft ;  her  complexion, 
fresh  ;  her  smile,  frank  and  ready,  color  though  she  did.  Her 
dress  is  always  neat  and  tasteful ;  but,  this  morning,  she  had 
undoubtedly  studied  the  eflfect  of  her  costume  upon  her  appear- 


82  SUNNYBANK. 

ance.  A  pearl-gray  cashmere  wrapper,  with  a  wide  border  of 
crimson  palm-leaves,  was  bound  about  Iier  waist  with  a  crimson 
cord  ;  and  the  single  bright  flower  at  her  throat  comported  per- 
fectly with  this  Oriental  costume.  I  have  an  eye  for  minutice, 
and  jealousy  is  more  quick  of  vision  than  love  ;  yes,  than  such 
love  as  I  saw  flash  from  a  pair  of  eyes  opposite  mine,  as  I 
glanced  across  the  table  —  eyes  that  were  not  directed  to- 
wards me. 

Why  should  he  or  anybody  else  care  to  look  at  me  ?  I  was 
olive-green  from  sleeplessness  and  pain  ;  my  black  orbs,  lustre- 
less ;  my  lips,  livid.  There  was  no  need  for  me  to  torment 
myself  with  thoughts  about  the  apparel  which  no  one  would 
notice  ;  so  I  wore  a  plain  black  alpaca  dress,  severely  simple  as 
a  conventual  robe.  Thus  thinking,  and  thus  contrasting  myself 
with  my  rival,  I  slowly  sipped  the  cup  of  black  coffee,  without 
cream,  poured  out  for  me  by  my  mistress.  It  is  the  next  best 
thing  to  opium  for  toning  the  nerves.  My  Lady  Lacy  knows 
my  moods  and  habits  well  enough  to  supply  me  with  this  tonic, 
without  being  asked,  when  I  come  down  to  breakfast  with  one 
of  my  silent  headaches. 

"  Why,  Agatha,  dear  ! "  exclaimed  Elinor,  catching  sight  of 
my  countenance  as  she  took  her  seat  at  her  father's  right  hand  ; 
*'  not  a  neuralgia  day,  surely?" 

I  was  never  glad  before  to  see  Miss  Morris  ;  but  I  was  actu- 
ally grateful  to  her  for  rustling  her  silk  i^eignoir  into  the  room 
at  that  precise  instant ;  furthermore,  relieved  that  the  babbling 
stream  of  her  talk  effectually  prevented  me  from  making  any 
rejoinder  to  the  inquiry  relative  to  my  insignificant  self.  But 
nobody  noticed  the  omission,  or  prosecuted  the  discussion  of  a 
subject  so  unimportant.  As  the  spinster  passed  her  pet's  chair, 
she  gave  her  a  tweak  of  the  ear. 

"  You  malicious  little  sprite  !  how  dare  you  look  so  pro- 
vokingly  full  of  life  and  spirits,  when  I  am  jaded,  and  yellow, 
and  cross?  I  detected  two  new  crows-feet  about  my  eyes,  this 
morning,  and  a  gray  hair  over  my  left  temple.  It  is  Nature's 
revenge  for  my  dissipation  last  night.     She  is  a  vindictive  bel- 


SUNNTBANK.  33 

dam.  She  treats  me  as  a  step-mother  might,  and  a  viragoish 
one  at  that.  No  coffee,  thank  you,  Ida  !  Miss  Agatha's  pana- 
cea for  disordered  nerves  is  my  bane.  A  cup  of  weak  black 
tea,  if  you  please.  Don't  tempt  the  fallible  flesh,  Lynn,  with 
those  ravishing  waffles.  I  must  take  a  piece  of  dry  toast. 
Yes ;  I  know  the  matchless  flavor  of  Sunnybank  broiled 
chicken,  Mr.  Lacy;  but  I  am  doing  penance.  An  egg,  did 
you  propose.  Brownie  ?  I  will  try  it,  my  love,  provided  it  was 
laid  to-day,  and  it  is  boiled  just  right." 

Then,  weary  of  the  ridiculous  twaddle,  I  ceased  to  listen, 
and,  having  quaffed  my  coffee,  stirred  the  slight  sediment  in 
the  bottom  of  the  cup  with  my  spoon,  and  thought  over  my  own 
bitter  fancies  until  the  antiquated  belle's  ringing  voice  addressed 
me,  and  summoned  my  wandering  wits  to  their  post. 

"  Are  you  reading  your  fortune  in  those  coffee-grounds,  Miss 
Agatha?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  I  replied,  in  grave  simplicity. 

"  And  what  is  the  result  of  your  incantation,  may  I  ask?" 

"  I  find  only  sparkle  and  sweetness,"  I  answered,  lifting  my 
spoon  to  show  a  morsel  of  sugar  upon  the  tip. 

A  smile  went  around  the  board,  and  she  made  another  attack. 

"  I  hope  your  preiix  chevalier,  Mr.  Coleman,"  —  a  rich  and 
very  "fast"  bachelor,  who  had  followed  me  like  my  shadow 
the  evening  before,  —  "reads  the  like  flattering  tale  in  his 
morning  cup." 

"Of  coffee?"  put  in  Koss,  demurely;  and  this  time  there 
was  a  laugh. 

"  You  indiscreet  boy  !  "  scolded  Miss  Morris.  "  Wlio  knows 
what  mischief  your  impertinent  and  uncharitable  insinuations 
may  do  !  I  had  not  looked  for  so  unkind  a  hit  from  you.  In 
love,  more  than  in  anything  else,  a  fellow-feeling  should  make 
one  kind.  Ask  pretty  Miss  Hall,  when  you  pay  your  next  call 
there,  if  I  am  not  right." 

"  You  have  made  a  trifling  mistake,"  said  Mr.  Lacy,  who, 
dignified  as  he  looks,  likes  to  take  his  part  in  family  fun  ;  "  she 
is  Lynn's  inamorata.     Is  not  that  so,  my  boy?     I  remarked  to 


34  SUNNYBANK. 

Mamma,  last  night,  that  the  signs  of  the  times  indicated  a 
movement  in  that  direction." 

"It  is  scarcely  fair,  sir,  this  putting  a  felloAV  into  the  con- 
fessional so  publicly,"  returned  his  son,  lightly ;  but  his  cheek 
took  a  warmer  hue,  and  his  eyes  strayed,  accidentally,  perhaps, 
to  mine,  leaving  them  as  suddenly. 
Aliss  Morris  sneered,  loftily, — 

"  Lynn  !  he  is  the  most  flinty-hearted  boy  I  ever  beheld.  I 
do  not  believe  he  was  ever  in  love  for  a  moment  in  the  whole 
course  of  his  life." 

This  time  he  did  not  look  at  me  ;  but  something  in  his  man- 
ner impressed  me  as  being  queer,  jocose  as  was  his  reply. 

"  Mistaken  there^  at  all  events.  Auntie  !  I  have  adored  you 
from  my  babyhood,  when  I  wore  pretty  little  frocks  of  your 
embroidery.  It  is  my  constancy  to  you  which  renders  me 
insensible  to  the  charms  of  others." 

"  My  precious  child,  a  man  may  not  marry  his  grandmother  ; 
and  the  love  that  leadeth  not  unto  the  altar  of  Hymen  is  voted 
Platonic  folly,  ethereal  humbug,  in  this  practical  age.  In  classic 
phrase,  —  for  slang  lias  become  classic  in  this  same  era,  —  it 
does  riot  remunerate.  Ask  your '  brother,  and  his  commercial 
friend  over  there,  if  what  I  say  be  not  solemn,  practical  truth." 
I  caught  the  drift  of  this  apparently  thoughtless  rhodomon- 
tade,  if  no  one  else  did.  She  had  overheard  the  latter  clause  of 
Harry's  remark  to  me,  the  previous  evening.  "  I  must  ever  love 
you  "  savored  to  her  too  strongly  of  sentimental  flirtation,  when 
she  took  into  view  the  speaker's  relation  to  her  favorite.  He 
dared  not  trifle  with  the  daughter  of  the  house  of  Lacy,  pro- 
tected by  father,  brothers,  social  position,  and  wealth :  ergo^  he 
must  be  amusing  himself  at  my  expense ;  and,  much  as  she 
disliked  me,  she  would  give  me  warning  to  this  effect.  Love, 
such  as  he  pi*ofessed  to  feel  for  me,  could  not  lead  unto  the  altar 
of  H3Tiien ;  therefore  it  behooved  her  to  open  my  eyes  to  my 
true  standing. 

I  hope  it  is  not  a  deadly  sin  to  hate  a  fellow- woman  :  if  it  be, 


SUNNTBANK.  35 

then,  in  respect  to  this  one,  I  transgress  beyond  the  hope  of 
forgiveness. 

I  have  asked  no  questions  about  family  secrets  to-day,  and 
no  one  has  volunteered  any  information  ;  but  my  senses  of  sight 
and  hearino:  have  served  me  well.  I  know  that  the  betrothal 
has  received  the  parental  sanction,  and  that,  if  the  brothers 
have  not  been  already  taken  into  confidence,  Ross  will  be  during 
his  ride  to  the  village  with  Wilton.  Lynn  has  gone  to  walk 
with  his  patroness,  Miss  Morris.  She  worships  that  boy  —  I 
imagine  for  the  sake  of  his  name.  It  belonf^red  to  her  dead 
lover,  —  so  Elinor  once  whispered  to  me,  —  dead  upwards  of  a 
score  of  years  ago.  I  do  not  relent  towards  her  when  I  think 
of  her  grief  at  his  loss,  —  of  her  twenty-five  lonely  years,  filled 
with  sadness  and  inefiectual  longings.  I  am  glad  to  believe 
that  she  has  thus  sufiered  ;  that,  underneath  her  gay  mask,  she 
suffers  still.  I  feel  no  pity  for  any  one  :  least  of  all  do  I  seek 
pity  for  myself. 


36  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    III. 


ELINOR. 


A  QUIETLY  happy  Sabbath.  I  never  desired  so  earnestly  before 
to  go  to  church.  I  know  that  He  who  smiles  upon  His  chil- 
dren's bliss,  as  truly  as  He  comforts  them  in  their  affliction,  is 
really  no  nearer  to  the  seeking  soul  in  the  sanctuary  reared  in 
His  honor  by  mortal  hands,  than  elsewhere  ;  but  something 
within  urged  me  to  enter  His  courts  with  my  thank-oftering  for 
the  new  and  great  joy  He  had  given  me. 

I  rode  to  church  in  company  with  Mamma,  Aunt  Ellen,  and 
Agatha.  I  suppose  that  I  was  unusually  silent,  —  maybe  grave 
in  seeming,  — for  Agatha  once  accosted  me  as  "  Little  Nun."  It 
was  a  foolish  whim  of  mine  to  dislike  the  term,  but  I  did  wish 
that  she  had  not  used  it.  I  tried  to  laugh  off  the  impression  ;  to 
scold  myself  for  thinking  of  it  a  second  time  ;  yet,  after  I  was 
seated  in  the  church,  even  as  I  bowed  my  head  in  prayer,  the 
phrase  recurred  to  me,  and  the  mocking  tone  in  which  it  had 
been  uttered. 

Led  by  these,  my  thoughts  strayed  off,  during  the  interval  of 
quiet  preceding  the  commencement  of  the  public  services,  into 
a  stran<2:e  and  not  a  briojht  track.  A  nun's  life  —  so  I  mused  — 
must  be  chill  and  gray  as  it  is  self-denying  and  unalterable,  un- 
less it  be  varied  by  sharp  conflicts  with  rebellious  will,  with 
tastes  and  aspirations  after  —  alas  !  not  hopes  of  that  to  which 
w^oman's  thoughts  and  desires  tend  as  naturally  as  rivers  seek 
the  ocean  —  home  and  home-loves.  Nature,  strong  in  all 
humankind,  is  doubly  powerful  in  our  sex.  I  do  not  believe 
that  so  many  are  led  into  this  untempting  path  by  religious  en- 


SUNNYBANK.  87 

thusiasm  as  driven  by  sorrow,  goaded  to  the  irrevocable  step  by 
disappointment. 

"  Women  have  an  innate  proclivity  for  self-sacrifice,"  I  once 
heard  Aunt  Ellen  say,  in  her  half-sad,  half-jesting  way.  "  If 
Isaac  had  been  a  girl,  she  would  have  quarrelled  with  the 
ojSicious  ram  for  not  running  his  awkward  horns  into  some  other 
and  distant  thicket.  And  Iphigenia,  no  doubt,  congratulated  her- 
self, on  the  way  to  the  sacrificial  pile,  upon  the  fine  thing  she 
was  about  to  do." 

"What  change  in  outward  circumstances,  I  asked  myself,  could 
induce  me  to  resign,  utterly  and  forever,  the  bright  hopes  that 
now  seem  inseparable  from  my  existence,  to  bury  all  thoughts 
of  personal  happiness,  and  take  upon  myself,  voluntarily,  delib- 
erately, a  cross  the  pressure  of  which  I  must  feel  every  hour 
until  I  laid  it  down  with  life?  Was  I  cowardly?  Did  it  prove 
me  to  be  no  heroine,  that  every  instinct  of  my  nature  shrank 
from  the  long,  w^eary  task  of  self-denial,  of  continual  warfare? 
Am  I,  then,  an  ease-loving,  spoiled  child,  unfitted  by  constitution 
and  education  to  cope  with  the  severe  realities  which  others 
meet  bravely,  endure  uncomplainingly  ? 

Agatha  has,  for  the  past  year,  occupied  the  position  held  for 
many  years  (since  the  erection  of  the  building,  in  fact)  by 
3Iamma  —  that  of  performer  upon  the  small  but  sweet-toned 
organ  that  accompanies  our  music  on  Sabbath.  Still,  the  selec- 
tion of  voluntaries  and  tunes  devolves  upon  Mamma,  as  of  old. 
And  when  my  distrustful,  ungrateful  reverie  had  reached  this 
point,  I  felt  her  touch  upon  my  shoulder,  and  saw  her  finger 
designate  in  the  music-book  before  me  the  sentence  she  had 
chosen  as  the  opening  piece  of  the  day. 

"  Cast  thy  hurden  iipori  the  Lordj  and  He  luill  sustain  thee,  He 
will  comfort  thee  !  " 

It  was  like  the  pointing  of  an  angel  hand.    Doubts,  fears,  the 

nameless  pain  that  was  striving  in  my  heart,  were  gone  before  I 

joined  my  voice  with  Agatha's  in  the  introductory  duet.     When 

the  more  timid  utterance  of  the  sentence  arose  into  sublime 

4 


38  SUNNYBANK. 

'  confidence  in  the  chorus,  and  Harry's  deep,  fervent  tones 
blended  with  those  of  my  brothers,  bearing  up  mine  into  exult- 
ant strength,  I  thanked  God  and  took  courage  in  the  persuasion 
that  He  would  sustain  me  under  the  blessed  burden  of  a  trust 
so  dear  and  holy  as  the  charge  of  another's  happiness  —  a  care 
so  precious  that  I  might  well  fear  to  assume  it  unassisted  by 
divine  grace.  He  who  bestowed  the  gift,  and  who  best  knows 
its  value,  can  alone  rightly  understand  how  the  mere  imagina- 
tion of  losing  it  should  shake  my  soul  to  feebleness. 

Something  of  this  I  confessed  to  Harry  during  our  walk  in 
the  garden  this  afternoon.  It  is  becoming  easier,  every  hour, 
for  me  to  tell  him  all  that  is  in  my  heart.  If  I  have  a  wise 
and  strong,  I  have  likewise  one  of  the  gentlest  of  tutors.  He 
listened  kindly  to  my  stammered  story,  and  then  talked,  as  I 
thought  no  other  man  besides  my  father  could  do,  upon  such 
topics  as  the  Christian's  hopes,  the  Christian's  duties,  the  Chris- 
tian's reward  in  this  world  and  that  which  is  to  come.  My 
noble,  noble  Love  !  mine,  whatever  else  of  change  may  betide  — 
mine  in  time  and  eternity  ! 

There  is  no  lovelier  spot  upon  the  Sunnybank  plantation  than 
the  bury^g-ground  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden.  This  evening, 
when  we  reached  the  low  wall  enclosing  it,  we  stood  for  a  long 
time  surveying  the  peaceful  scene  before  us,  speaking  lowly, 
now  Imcl^  then,"  of  those  who  slept  under  the  turf.  The  giant 
weeping  wuUow  in  the  centre  of  the  small  cemetery  is  a  land- 
mark for  miles  around.  It  was  planted  more  than  forty  years 
since  to  mark  my  grandfather's  grave.  Twelve  years  later  his 
wife  was  laid  to  her  rest  beneath  its  shadow".  I  told  Harry  how 
my  mother,  then  a  girl  of  fifteen,  an  orphan,  with  neither 
brother,  sister,  uncle,  or  aunt,  in  the  world,  passed  a  whole 
night  beside  the  freshly-made  grave,  praying,  in  wretchedness 
of  desolation,  that  she  might  die  and  have  a  home  in^^his  village 
of  her  dead,  so  abject  was  her  sense  of  loneliness. 

"Do  you  know,  dear  Brownie,"  was  his  commelit,^"  that 
we  as  often  have  reason  to  thank  God  for  not  answering  our 
prayers,  as   for  vouchsafing   a  speedy  reply  to  our   requests? 


SUNNYBANK.  39 

'Not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt,'  should  be  no  idle  form  of 
speech  when  coupled  with  our  petitions.  You  remember  what 
is  the  mission  of  '  God's  kindest  angel,' — 

*  To  make  our  own  our  Father's  will.'  " 

I  could  not  but  glance,  as  he  spoke,  at  a  green  hillock  near 
my  grandmother's  tomb.  The  head-stone  set  over  against  it  is 
far  whiter  that  any  of  the  rest,  and  is  wrought  with  greater  skill. 
The  design  is,  to  my  taste,  very  beautiful.  A  stem  from  which 
droop  lilies-of-the-valley,  and  below  the  name  of  the  little  sleeper 
the  words,  "  My  Beloved  is  gone  down  into  His  garden  to  gather 
lilies." 

Dear  little  Morton !  his  father's  namesake,  and  the  most 
lovely  in  feature  and  disposition  of  us  all !  He  was  my  junior 
by  two  years,  and  died  in  his  fourth  summer.  Therefore  I  have 
a  distinct  recollection  of  his  appearance  and  many  winning 
ways.  His  loss  was  my  first,  my  only  real  sorrow.  My  eyes 
filled  now  as  I  reverted  to  the  day  when  both  parents  knelt 
beside  their  dying  child,  and  besought  the  Father  to  spare  the 
precious  life.  Here  I  had  to  stop,  and  there  was  a  pause  in 
our  talk  —  not  an  unfeeling  one,  for  a  hand  had  sought  mine  as 
it  lay  among  the  ivy  on  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  folded  it  warmly 
and  closely ;  but  the  quiet  of  the  hour  and  place,  which  was 
still  even  to  the  flexile  weepers  that  swept  the  marble  stones, 
and  chastened  thoughts  of  the  great  mystery  of  mortality  of 
which  the  heaving  earth,  on  either  hand  and  in  front  of  us,  was 
the  token,  held  us  mute.  By  and  by  I  felt  a  light,  loving  touch 
upon  my  bowed  head. 

"Nellie,  love!"  said  low,  sweet  tones,  but  sad  as  sweet, ~ 
"weep  not  for  the  dead  —  neither  bemoan  him!  He  is  safe! 
Whatever  may  befall  her  other  sons,  your  mother,  our  mother, 
has  felt  the  last  pang  of  solicitude  she  can  ever  know  on  ac- 
count of  him  who  sleeps  here.  Heaven  grant "  Check- 
ing himself  abruptly,  he  added,  "  The  air  is  growing  chilly  ! 
,JVe  must  not  forget  that  this  summer  weather  does  not  belong 
of  right  to  the  earliest  days  of  M'areh,  and  that  it  is  liable  to  be 


40  SUNNYBANK. 

withdrawn  at  any  hour.  I  fear  that  you  w^ll  take  cold  if  you 
stand  here  longer." 

Mamma  met  us  in  the  hall,  as  we  entered  the  house. 

' '  Were  you  uneasy  about  her  ?  "  asked  Harry,  smiling. 

"  Not  at  all !  " 

Question  and  reply  were  commonplace  enough  ;  but  I  saw  the 
glance  of  trustful  affection  exchanged  as  these  were  said,  and 
it  sent  me  off  to  my  room  to  weep  in  very  gladness. 

Yet  I  feel  very  humble  to-night,  —  oppressed  by  a  sense  of 
my  unworthiness  of  the  abundant  mercies  with  which  my 
young  life  is  crowned.  I  float  in  the  flood  of  light  that  has 
streamed  along  my  pathway  for  many  happy  years,  as  an  insect 
does  in  the  sunshine  that  has  steeped  him  from  the  beginning  of 
his  ephemeral  existence,  —  a  mite  in  the  boundless  universe  of 
the  good  Father,  —  but  a  mite  all  a-thrill  with  the  bliss  He  has 
given.  My  heart  has  grown  more  large  and  tender  with  the 
incominor  of  this  tide  of  deli"rht.     This  is  but  the  le";itimate 

o  o  o 

effect  of  an  all-satisfying  affection.  I  do  not  like  the  term 
"  absorbing  love."  It  conveys  an  implication  of  selfish  indif- 
ference to  the  welfare  and  griefs  of  others.  I  pray  earnestly 
that  ray  wealth  of  blessings  may  never  cause  me  to  enter  less 
heartily  into  the  gladness  of  those  who  rejoice  ;  to  feel  sympa- 
thy less  lively  with  the  sorrowing  —  those  who  are  bereft  of 
that  which  makes  me  rich. 

This  brings  to  mind  my  meeting  with  Aunt  Ellen,  yesterday 
forenoon,  near  the  greenhouse.  I  had  been  busy  for  an  hour 
with  the  gardener,  rearranging  the  plants  borrowed  from  his 
shelves  for  the  birthnight  party,  and  stopping  just  outside  the 
door  to  gather  a  bunch  of  my  English  violets,  I  encountered 
Aunt  Ellen.  She  was  equipped  for  a  walk,  and  I  asked  if  she 
wished  me- to  go  with  her. 

"  No,  Pet !  I  am  frumpy  and  disagreeable  to-day,  and  decent* 
company  for  nobody  except  my  very  objectionable  self." 

"  The  idea  of  your  being  '  frumpy' !  "  I  laughed.  ' 

And  thoughtlessly  —  these  thoughtless  trick.'i  warn  me  co 
stantly  what  alight-minded  child  I  am   stiil—  I  held  up  my 


f 


SUNNTBANK.  41 

flowers  to  her  face,  saying,  "  They  are  the  sweetest  breath  of 
Spring !  " 

I  was  shocked  to  see  her  recoil  and  change  color  at  the  touch 
or  odor. 

*'  I  cannot  bear  it,  dear  !  "  she  gasped  —  catching  her  breath 
between  each  fragment  of  a  sentence.  "  I  have  a  strange  an- 
tipathy—  not  so  strange  either  —  but  the  scent  of  violets  over- 
powers me  !  I  smelled  them  once  —  sweet  and  powerful  —  as 
they  lay  within  a  coffin !  Since  then  I  have  never  handled 
one  except  when  I  go,  every  March,  to  lay  them  upon  a  grave. 
But  that  is  a  penitential  pilgrimage  !  " 

She  uttered  this  with  rapid  incoherence,  like  one  striving  to 
recover  strength  or  self-possession  ;  then  the  blood  returned  to 
her  lips  and  cheek,  and  she  slipped  her  hand  under  my  chin  and 
raised  my  face  nearer  hers,  smiling  fondly,  although  her  eyes 
were  less  steady  and  bright  than  it  is  their  wont  to  be. 

*'  I  haven't  many  old-maidish  notions,  Brownie,  if  I  am  a 
single  lady  of  an  uncertain  age  ;  but  this  is  one,  and  you  must 
not  tell  tales  upon  me.  I  have  been  slightly  unstrung  for  a 
couple  of  days.  This  unseasonably  warm  weather  is  enervat- 
ing, besides  reminding  me  of  other  days  and  other  scenes  ;  but 
an  hour's  walk  in  the  open  air  will  bring  me  up  to  concert 
pitch." 

"  Dear  Aunt  Ellen ! "  I  could  not  help  saying,  as  I  wound 
my  arms  about  her  neck,  and  gazed  into  the  face  that  has  ever 
looked  lovingly  upon  me,  "  I  never  think  of  you  as  being  sub- 
ject to  the  fluctuations  of  spirits  that  trouble  other  people.  I 
wish  I  could  comfort  you,  —  could  share  with  you  my  affluence 
of  happiness ! " 

For  I  so  pitied  her  in  this  my  flrst  insight  of  the  darkened 
undercurrent  of  the  life  that  appears  to  others  a  clear,  sparkling 
stream,  neither  deep  nor  turbid  ! 

"  My  blessed  girl !     I  believe  you  !     I  know  that  you  mean 
what  you  say  —  but  I  would  not  rob  you  of  one  ray  of  sun- 
light.    Nor  do   I  want  you  to  disturb  your  affectionate  little 
heart  with  thoughts  of  the  days  of  darkness,  which  are  many, 
4* 


42  SUNNYBANK. 

that  have  been  apportioned  unto  others.  Your  mother  is  wiser 
and  better  than  I  —  poor  earthworm  that  I  am !  and  she 
preaches  of  the  necessity  of  cloudy  days.  Perhaps  it  is  best  — 
it  must  be,  or  it  would  be  ordered  otherwise,  I  suppose  —  that 
with  some,  November  should  last  the  year  round.  If  the 
prayers  of  a  sinner  like  myself  are  heard,  your  glad,  bright 
May  will  be  unending.  Forget  everything  else  that  1"  have 
said ;  and,  now,  good  by  for  a  little  while  !  " 

She  kissed  me  upon  the  lips  and  then  upon  my  eyes,  and 
passed  on.  I  watched  her  as  she  trode  down  the  walk  with 
her  swift,  even  step,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left ; 
through  the  lower  gate  of  the  garden,  past  the  burying-ground 
and  along  the  lane  beyond,  until  her  figure  was  lost  to  view  in 
the  woods. 

Just  so  she  holds  on  her  way  through  the  world,  and  those 
who  see  her  day  after  day  and  year  after  year,  count  her  among 
the  lightest  of  the  light-hearted.  Her  remark  touching  Mam- 
ma's preaching  referred  to  a  quotation  the  latter  had  used  that 
morning  at  breakfast-time  —  "There  is  no  cloud  the  shadow 
of  which  is  not  needed."  This  incident  gave  me  a  half  hour 
of  very  sober  thought  —  soberness  that  steals  in  again  upon 
me  in  the  review  of  it.  Were  the  violets  she  spoke  of  in  the 
coffin  of  her  dead  betrothed  —  the  Lynn  Holmes  —  handsome 
and  gifted  —  in  loving  memory  of  whom  my  father  and  mother 
named  one  of  their  twin-boys  ?  Five  years  ago,  I  mentioned 
him  in  Aunt  Ellen's  presence,  knowing  of  him  only  as  a  child 
might  from  hearing  my  mother  allude  to  her  early  friend  and 
adopted  brother,  when  questioned  as  to  her  reasons  for  bestow- 
ing upon  her  son  a  name  which  strikes  most  people  as  singular.* 
I  did  not  observe  Aunt  Ellen's  countenance,  having  no  sus- 
picion that  she  was  interested  in  the  subject,  but  I  did  notice 
that  she  instantly  quitted  the  room.  When  I  was  next  alone 
with  Mamma,  she  cautioned  me  against  a  repetition  of  the 
blunder  by  confiding  to  me  enough  of  the  sad  story  to  enlist 
my  sympathies  in  the  early  trial  of  the  friend  whom  I  had  been 
instructed  to  call  "  aunt,"  who  had  herself  taught  me  to  love 


SUNNYBANK.  43 

her  as  well  as  if  she  were  in  truth  nearly  allied  to  us  by  blood. 
Do  days  of  darkness  come  to  all  ?  Are  —  not  shadows  mere- 
ly —  but  clouds,  heavy  and  fraught  with  storm  —  necessary 
to  the  healthful  growth  of  the  soul  ? 

Then,  Father,  be  near  me  when  their  gloom  shall  creep  upon 
my  track.  Help  me  to  say  from  the  heart,  as  with  the  lips, 
"Not  as  J  will." 

In  casting  my  eyes  upon  the  above  page,  they  were  arrested  by 
three  words —  "  Her  dead  betrothed  !  "  And  yet  she  lives  and 
smiles,  and,  so  far  as  man  can  judge,  finds  plea§urable  interest 
in  life  !  while,  at  the  suggestion  of  such  a  woe,  my  weak  wo- 
man's nature  is  aghast.  "  God  forbid  !  "  is  all  I  can  say.  O 
Thou  who  art  the  Preserver  as  Thou  art  the  Giver  of  life,  let 
his  be  very  precious  in  Thy  sight,  and  fit  me  to  share  it ! 


44  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

AGATHA. 

"  Has  it  never  occurred  to  you,  Ida,  that  you  may  be  doing 
an  unwise  thing  for  your  own  children  in  keeping  Agatha  Lamar 
here?" 

I  was  writing  at  the  desk  in  Mr.  Lacy's  study,  and  the  door 
leading  into  the  adjoining  chamber  —  Miss  Morris's  —  was  very 
slightly  ajar.  This  was  an  uncommon  circumstance,  this  means 
of  communication  between  the  rooms  being  very  seldom  used. 
I  had  known,  for,  I  suppose,  twenty  minutes,  that  Mrs.  Lacy 
and  her  guest  •were  having  a  cosy  confabulation  over  their 
needles,  but  had  not  troubled  myself  to  listen  until  I  heard  my 
own  name.  Then  I  laid  down  my  pen,  and  stepped  nearer  to 
the  wall,  that  I  might  hear  yet  more  distinctly  what  was  to  fol- 
low. I  am  aware  that  this  act  would  be  esteemed  dishonorable 
by  most  people  ;  but  to  myself  I  do  not  pretend  to  play  the 
honorable.  Self-preservation  is  my  first  and  last  law,  and  I  had 
been  directly  attacked.  It  behooved  me  to  collect  what  materials 
I  could  for  my  defence. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  was  Mrs.  Lacy's  reply,  uttered  sur- 
prisedly,  and  in  doubt  as  to  the  import  of  her  crony's  question. 

"  Just  this.  I  have  studied  the  young  lady  pretty  closely, 
now,  for  a  couple  of  months,  and  I  believe  that  I  have  formed  a 
tolerably  accurate  idea  of  her  real  character  and  plans." 

"  Take  care,  Ellen,"  interposed  Mrs.  Lacy,  yet  more  serious- 
ly.    "  Remember  that  you  have  never  liked  her." 

"  And  prejudice  is  a  bad  medium  through  which  to  make  an 
impartial  observation,  you  would  add,"  said  the  other,  coolly. 
"  Granted,  my  dear.     Granted  further,   that,  being  a  firm  be- 


SUNNYBANK. 


45 


liever  in  hereditary  traits  —  especially  where  these  are  taints  as 
well  — I  was  never  disposed  to  regard  old  Pinely's  grandchild 
with  much  favor.  But  until  this  winter  she  has  worn  her  mask 
w^onderfully  Avell.  Lately  she  has  become  careless  or  desperate. 
I  have  caught  her  off  her  guard  once  or  twice,  and  if  you  will 
promise  not  to  be  angry,  I  will  give  you  the  benefit  of  my  dis- 
coveries. Firstly,  she  has  all  along  cherished  a  penchant  for 
Harry  Wihon  —  how  far  comprehended  and  encouraged  by  him, 
it  is  not  for  me  to  say.  Secondly,  her  black  eyes  are  doing 
execution  upon  our  Lynn's  great,  tender  heart,  and  if  he  were 
to  throw,  himself  at  h^  feet  to-morrow,  she  would  marry  him 
to  obtain  a  husband  and  a  settlement  —  Mr.  Wilton  being  out 
of  the  question  now." 

I  hearkened  for  Mrs.  Lacy's  reply  in  perfect  agony.  If  she 
turned    against    me,  what  was  I  but  a  worse  than   beggared 

wanderer  ? 

"I  should  be  greatly  shocked  and  pained  could  I  believe 
these  assertions,"  she  answered,  and  her  calm  voice  brought  me 
hope.  "  Her  relations  toward  Mr.  WiUon  are  somewhat  pe- 
culiar.    You  must  have  heard  — " 

•'  Yes,  yes  ;  how  he  chanced  to  take  music  lessons  from  that 
dissipated  scamp  of  a  Lamar,  and  became  interested  in  the 
bright-eyed  daughter,  who  spent  her  days  up  in  the  garret 
back  room,  sewing,  cooking,  washing,  practising  on  the  rickety 
piano  and  violin  ;  sometimes  at  the  point  of  starvation,  pawn- 
ing her  clothes  off  her  back  for  bread  ;  at  others  locked  up,  for 
two  or  three  days  together,  in  the  wretched  chamber,  while  the 
brutal  father  was  on  one  of  his  drunken  sprees  abroad ;  —  how 
Mr.  WiUon  secretly  stimulated  her  to  keep  her  face  clean ;  to 
study  the  books  which  he  brought  her,  and  to  perfect  herself  in 
the  one  branch  of  knov/ledge  Lamar  could  teach  her  —  music  ; 
how  he  spoke  of  her  case  accidentally  to  Charley  Dana,  who 
recognized  the  name  of  her  promising  parent  as  that  of  poor 
Laura  Pinely's  husband,  and  after  satisfying  himself  that  this 
was  the  identical  individual  who  had  robbed  you  of  your  charity- 
school  teacher,  wrote  to  you  a  statement  of   the  affair ;    and 


46  SUNNYBANK. 

when,  a  month  later,  another  letter  arrived,  informing  you  that 
Lamar  had  drunk  himself  into  a  fatal  fever,  and  that  his  only 
child  was  an  orphan,  how  Morton  posted  off  to  jSTew  York  to 
offer  her  a  home  and  parents.  I  was  teetotally  opposed  to  the 
Quixotic  scheme  from  the  outset,  and  I  have  never  changed  my 
mind." 

"Ellen!  Ellen!  is  not  your  enumeration  of  the  miseries 
endured  by  the  unhappy  child  before  she  found  that  home  suf- 
ficient to  move  the  hardest  heart  to  pity  and  to  charitable  judg- 
ment? I  am  not  so  blind  to  Agatha's  faults  as  you  think  me. 
I  recognize  with  pain  the  truth  that  there  are  grievous  blem- 
ishes in  her  character.  But  when  tempted  to  dwell  upon  these, 
I  recollect  that  she  was  left  motherless  at  thirteen,  and  how 
little  there  was  in  the  wild  Bohemian  life  she  led  afterwards  to 
foster  the  seeds  of  good  which  I  must  believe  poor  Laura  tried 
to  implant  in  her  daughter's  heart ;  and  then  come  such  thoughts 
of  my  own  desolate  orphanage,  and  its  attendant  trials  of  uncon- 
genial associations  and  lack  of  moral  and  religious  training, 
that  I  redouble  my  efforts  to  overcome  for  her,  by  present  happi- 
ness, the  hateful  memories  which  must  haunt  her,  seldom  as  she 
refers  to  them." 

"  And  preciously  you  pamper  her  among  you  all !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Morris,  angrily,  yet  laughing  —  "from  Mr.  Lacy  down 
to  Brownie,  who  looks  up  to  her  as  to  a  sublunary  saint,  made 
sacred  by  virtue  and  misfortune  !  "Wait  until  you  have  her  for 
a  daughter-in-law,  and  she  will  show  her  true  colors.  I 
wouldn't  care  so  much  if  Ross  were  the  destined  victim.  He 
could  manage  her,  perhaps.  But  Lynn  could  never  be  stern  to 
one  he  loved,  or  otherwise  than  chivalric  in  his  gentleness  to  a 
woman.  The  prospect  may  not  appall  you  ;  but  dearly  as  I 
love  the  boy,  I  had  rather  close  his  eyes  Avith  my  own  hands  to 
all  earthly  scenes  than  see  him  the  husband  of  that  designing 
adventuress." 

"  I  should  regret  such  an  event  more  than  I  can  express," 
rejoined  Mrs.  Lacy.  "  I  do  not  think  them  suited  to  one  an- 
other, and  while  I  do  not  go  so  far  as  you  do  in  my  dread  of 


SUNNYBANK.  47 

hereditary  tcaint,  I  frankly  confess  that  I  should  not  like  to 
receive  as  a  daughter,  Lamar's  child,  or  the  grandchild  of  Pom- 
pous Finely." 

And  she  laughed  in  pronouncing  the  odious  nickname. 

"  Poor  Laura  !  "  she  resumed.  "  I  shall  never  cease  to  re- 
gret that  unfortunate  summer  at  the  Springs,  where  she  met 
this  handsome  stranger.  Yet  how  bright  and  happy  she  was 
when  she  came  home  with  tidings   of  her  approaching  mar- 


nase 


1 


"  She  was  shamefully  obstinate,  shamelessly  ungrateful,  in 
persisting  in  consummating  her  engagement  before  Mr.  Lacy 
could  make  proper  inquiries  about  the  fellow!"  said  Miss 
Morris,  severely.  "  Another  proof  that  bad  blood  is  not  easily 
gotten  rid  of.  Her  father's  predominant  trait,  next  to  his  self- 
conceit,  was  ingratitude.  I  have  no  patience  with  any  of  the 
race !  You  picked  Laura  up  out  of  their  pigsty  of  a  hovel, 
educated  and  clothed  her  like  a  lady,  and  she  requited  you  by 
throwing  herself  away  upon  the  first  graceless  villain  that  ad- 
dressed her.  And  her  daughter  takes  every  favor  showed  her 
as  composedly  as  if  it  were  her  due !  receives  my  darling 
Lynn's  homage  as  royalty  might  the  service  of  a  subject !  I 
tell  you  it  is  an  evil  stock  —  root  and  branch." 

"  I  shall  not  cast  off  Laura's  child  until  she  forfeits  my  favor 
by  some  unpardonable  transgression,"  said  Mrs.  Lacy,  firmly. 
"  I  have  offered  her  a  home  while  she  chooses  to  keep  it,  and 
my  promise  shall  not  be  recalled." 

"  More  shame  to  her  that  she  accepts  it !  "  cried  Miss  Morris, 
testily.  "  If  she  had  one  spark  of  true,  worthy  pride,  she  would 
not  remain  the  beneficiary  of  a  stranger's  bounty.  Were  I  in 
her  place,  I  would  teach,  take  in  needlework,  be  a  domestic 
drudge,  —  yes,  pick  stones  upon  the  highway,  —  before  I  would 
live  a  dainty  do-nothing,  an  elegant  pensioner  —  dependent  upon 
charity  for  the  very  gown  I  wore  and  the  bread  I  ate  !  There 
you  see  old  Pinely,  over  again  !  He  would  tease  your  negroes 
to  lend  him  —  which  meant  to  give  him  —  fourpences  and  nine- 
pences,  sooner  than  he  would  work  for  an  honest  livelihood." 


48  SUNNYBANK. 

Here  the  outer  door  of  the  chamber  opened  to  admit  a  ser- 
vant, and  the  draught  of  air  shutting  the  inner  one,  I  left  my 
post  and  came  noiselessly  away  to  my  distant  room.     *     *     * 

I  have  -written  out  the  above  detailed  account  of  the  inter- 
view between  my  benefactress  and  her  dear  friend  with  a  cir- 
cumstantiality, an  avoidance  of  intemperate  comments,  an  ab- 
sence of  vituperative  epithets  that  in  another  would  amaze  me. 
But  for  myself,  I  understand  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  still 
heat  —  the  white  glow  of  intense,  consuming  wrath.  Yet  I 
knew  all  that  I  have  just  heard  long  ago  —  knew  better  than 
they/jould  describe  or  imagine  the  horrors  of  that  dark  era  — 
the  cheerless  middle  age  of  my  never-bright  career.  My  de- 
famer  spoke  lightly  of  starvation  ;  of  solitary  confinement ;  of 
servile  tasks  performed  by  the  lonely,  neglected  child.  Did  she 
guess  at  tales  of  cruel  beatings  and  words  yet  more  cruel?  of 
crushed  affections  and  insulted  delicacy  ?  of  scenes  and  language 
that  made  cold,  hunger,  and  darkness  a  welcome  relief  in  com- 
parison? If  she  had  surmised  aught  of  these,  would  her  spirit 
have  been  moved  to  kindlier  judgment  of  the  gi'andchild  of  a 
■worthless  pauper,  the  child  of  a  wicked  adventurer?  I  do  not 
believe  it.  She  hates  me  not  quite,  —  that  could  hardly  be,  — 
but  nearly  as  bitterly  as  I  do  her. 

Yes,  I  knew  it  all  before  —  the  pretty  tale  of  my  antece- 
dents. Not  from  the  Lacys.  They  have  affected  a  profound 
reserve  with  respect  to  my  mother's  early  history,  —  dating 
their  accounts  of  her  beauty  and  virtues  from  the  period  of  her 
entrance  into  their  service.  They  have  a  grand  style  of  ignor- 
ing whatever  they  do  not  care  to  remember  or  to  tell.  My 
mother  taught  a  species  of  charity-school  founded  by  my  Lady 
Bountiful  while  she  was  Miss  Ida  Ross,  maiden  chatelaine  of 
Sunnybank.  For  this  position  '*  poor  Laura  "  —  as  the  cronies 
in  council  invariably  styled  her  during  their  late  interview  — 
was  educated  by  her  youthful  patroness,  and  she  occupied  it 
creditably  to  herself  and  her  employers  until  she  committed  the 
heinous  sin  of  falling  in  love  on  her  own  responsibility,  and 
wedding  the  man  of  her  choice.     My  lady  shook  her  doubting 


SUNNYBANK.  49 

head  over  this  folly ;  but  she  nevertheless  provided  her  late  ser- 
vant with  a  liberal  trousseau ;  Milord  put  a  store  of  bank-notes 
into  her  purse,  and  they  sent  her  on  her  way  with  prayers  and 
blessings  (verbal !)  enough  to  have  warded  off  the  malign  fates 
for  years  to  come.  Only,  nowadays,  this  sort  of  talisman  is 
wofuUy  dubious  in  value.  Indiscreet  neighbors  and  gossipping 
servants  —  and  even  the  Sunnybank  menials,  will  tattle  —  have 
been  less  reticent  than  my  mother's  patrons  and  mine.  From 
these  I  have  gathered  how  my  grandfather  —  familiarly  known 
as  Pompous  Finely  —  was  in  his  youth  the  intimate  and  equal 
of  Mrs.  Lacy's  father  ;  how  he  managed,  by  drinking,  gambling, 
and  horse-racing,  to  squander  a  handsome  fortune,  and  after  liv- 
ing with  his  family  upon  the  charity  of  former  friends  until  the 
eldest  child  was  eighteen  years  old,  perished  miserably,  while 
drunk,  by  falling  into  the  fire  upon  the  hearth  of  the  hut  he 
called  home.  There  are  always  benevolent  people  to  repeat  the 
like  agreeable  stories  to  the  persons  most  nearly  interested  there- 
in.    So  much  for  the  Finely  '  stock ' ! 

My  father  was,  I  doubt  not,  what  Mrs.  Lacy  styled  him  —  a 
handsome  adventurer.  Music,  language^  drawing,  and  dancing- 
master,  by  turns,  he  must  have  been  a  highly  educated  and 
accomplished  man.  Miss  Morris'  assertion  that  he  could  only 
teach  the  first-named  of  these  branches,  to  the  contrary.  I, 
also,  am  a  believer  in  blood,  and  I  know  that  the  swollen  tide 
that  throbs  painfully  through  my  veins  at  this  instant,  is  of  a 
strain  as  rich  and  old  as  they  can  boast  who  dread  to  mingle  the 
current  with  theirs.  And  my  beauty  is  of  a  nobler  type  than  is 
that  of  their  irreproachable  offspring.  It  likewise  is  an  inherit- 
ance. I  have  said  that  my  father  was  a  handsome  man.  My 
mother,  as  I  recollect  her,  —  and  the  picture  is  as  vivid  in  fea- 
ture and  coloring  as  if  I  had  seen  her  die  but  yesterday,  —  was 
lovely  as  an  angel.  But  gently !  I  must  not  think  of  her 
when  I  would  keep  my  brain  clear  —  my  will  steady. 

So,  Miss  Morris,  I  am  the  chosen  beloved  of  your  prime 
pet  and  i^rotege  !  a  fact  I  might  have  been  slow  to  suspect  but 
for  your  imprudent  tongue.     I  credit  the  story  —  not  because 

5 


60  SDNNYBANK. 

you  have  told  it  in  my  hearing,  but  because  it  is  corroborated  by 
my  own  recollection  of  certain  looks,  words,  and  actions  of  your 
favorite  which  I  passed  over  thoughtlessly  for  a  time,  in  preoc- 
cupation of  mind  with  other  and  weightier  concerns.  The  Fate 
which  it  is  the  fashion  of  this  pious  household  to  denominate 
Providence  has  not  thrown  this  information  in  my  way  without 
desisnin^r  that  I  shall  make  use  of  it.  If  it  serves  no  better 
purpose,  it  will  enable  me  to  persecute  my  persecutor.  But 
with  his  mother  on  the  qui  vive,  and  his  spinster  guardian  ever 
at  hand  to  defeat  my  moves,  it  is  well  that  I  should  be  wary. 
I  have  the  advantage  of  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  boy 
—  for  boy  he  is,  when  compared  with  my  mature  womanliness 
and  virtual  old  age  of  experience  in  the  ways  and  wickedness 
of  mankind.  Beside  these,  he  is  a  tender  daisy  of  innocence  — 
a  guileless  lamb. 

Yet  it  is  a  noble  youth  !  pure  as  a  girl  in  life  and  thought. 
Heaven  knows  how  much  purer  than  some  women  whom  the 
worlds  call  good  and  spotless !  yet  in  courage  and  intellect 
beyond  the  suspicion  of  effeminacy.  I  have  always  liked,  if 
not  admired  him  more  than  I  do  his  brother.  There  is  a  stead- 
fast, searching  look  in  Ross'  eye  which  irks  me  when  I  am  the 
object  honored  by  his  attention,  and  his  blind  devotion  to  his 
sister  causes  him  to  regard  other  women  with  indifference.  I 
think  that  he  neither  quite  likes  or  trusts  me,  while  Lynn,  if 
Miss  Morris'  testimony  is  admissible,  adores  me.  Me !  the 
Pariah,  whose  touch  is  contamination,  in  the  estimation  of  his 
adopted  aunt !  the  Bohemian,  as  his  mother  was  pleased  to 
desijrnate  me  !  the  sli";hted  woman  whom  another  man  has  cast 
aside,  as  a  tiresome  bauble,  for  a  girl  whose  character  and  affec- 
tions, when  contrasted  with  mine,  are  like  milk-and-water  to 
li^dng  fire  !  Shall  I  let  him  go  on  loving  me  ?  shall  I  lure  him 
on  to  adore  me  yet  more  fondly?  shall  I  —  I  do  not  say  try  to 
love  him  in  return.  That  can  never  be.  "Would  that  it  were 
not  an  impossibility  !  But  shall  I  verify  my  well-wisher's  pre- 
diction by  marrying  him? 

Marrying !     How  well  I  recollect   the    first   time    the    idea 


SUNNYBANK.  51 

occurred  to  me  except  as  a  vague  dream,  that  I  might  escape 
poverty,  degi'adation,  brutal  unkindness,  by  becoming  the  cher- 
ished wife  of  one  who  loved  me,  —  have  a  home,  neat,  cheer- 
ful, happy,  —  I  cared  not  how  humble,  —  that  should  be  his  and 
mine  !  It  was  one  spring  Sabbath  afternoon,  bright  and  mild 
—  such  March  weather  as  rarely  visits  northern  latitudes.  My 
father  had.  arrayed  himself  in  his  least  shabby  suit,  and  gone 
out,  I  could  divine  upon  what  errand,  and  sure  of  a  few  hours 
of  quiet,  I  had  made  our  dingy  little  parlor  as  tidy  as  I  could ; 
and  put  on  my  best  gown  —  a  delaine  —  black  ground  with  a 
tiny  rose  and  bud  upon  it  —  I  have  a  bit  of  it  now  laid  away 
with  a  lock  of  my  mother's  hair.  It  fitted  me  well,  although  I 
had  made  it  myself.  I  fastened  my  collar  with  a  knot  of 
bright  ribbon,  and  the  purple-black  braids  of  my  thick  hair 
were  wound  like  a  coronet  about  my  head.  I  studied  the  effect 
in  the  mean  little  looking-glass  between  the  windows,  and  de- 
cided that  I  was  growing  prettier  every  day.  The  conviction 
made  me  feel  better  and  happier.  I  fancy  that  most  people  are 
better  for  being  happy.  While  the  good  —  or  comfortable  — 
fit  was  on  me,  I  took  out  my  mother's  Bible  from  the  drawer, 
and  sat  myself  down  to  read.  I  promised  her  on  her  death- 
bed that  I  would  sometimes  do  this  and  think  of  her.  While 
thus  engaged,  I  heard  a  knock  at  the  door.  I  unclosed  it  cau- 
tiously, lest  the  visitor  should  prove  to  be  one  of  my  father's 
boon  companions,  and  saw,  instead,  Mr.  Wilton. 

"  I  called  by  to  leave  these  with  you,"  he  said,  offering  me  a 
bnnch  of  white  hyacinths. 

"  How  lovely  !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  And  how  fresh  !  Where  did 
you  find  them  ?  " 

"One  of  my  Sabbath-school  children  gave  them  to  me,  —  a 
poor  little  lame  girl,  whose  only  garden  is  a  row  of  boxes  in  a 
garret  window." 

*'  I  had  forgotten,  when  I  asked  the  question,  what  day  it 
was,"  I  answered  confusedly.  For  when  I  said  "  find  them," 
I  meant  "  buy  them.." 

"  Have  you  not  been  to  church  to-day?" 


B'2  SUNNYBANK. 

He  said  it  gravely,  but  kindly,  and  the  blood  mounted  to  my 
temple  as  I  returned  a  negative. 

*'  May  I  talk  a  little  ^vllile  with  you,  when  you  have  put  my 
little  Annie's  flowers  into  water  ?  "  he  continued  yet  more  kind- 
ly, coming  in. 

I  assented,  and  with  the  perfume  of  the  hyacinths  stealing 
toward  me,  and  the  strange  calm  of  the  Sabbath  afternoon 
shutting  us  in  from  the  world,  I  listened  to  his  solemn,  faithful 
teachings  ;  his  enumeration  of  the  gifts  with  which  nature  had 
endowed  me  ;  tlie  responsibilities  imposed  by  these,  and  the 
duties  which  I,  and  I  alone,  should  perform.  It  was  not  a 
lecture,  but  such  honest,  affectionate  persuasion  as  moved  me 
to  tears. 

"  Do  not  think  me  harsh,  Agatha,"  he  said,  seeing  this. 
"  But  it  grieves  me  to  see  your  talents  abused ;  your  nobler 
traits  of  character  perverted  ;  your  opportunities  of  doing  good 
despised.  You  are  a  very  proud  sufferer  ;  but  I  know  that  you 
do  suffer  much  and  often.  I  am  nine  years  older  than  you  are, 
my  child,  and  I  can  foresee,  more  truly  than  you  are  able  or 
willing  to  do,  the  'heavier  trials  that  lie  in  wait  for  you.  You 
are  motherless,  and  high-spirited,  and  ambitious.  You  will  be 
beautiful,  and  you  cannot  fail  to  be  admired.  I  would  have 
you  strengthened  to  meet  sorrow  and  temptation,  with  the  one 
infallible  strength  for  fallible  mortals.  Forgive  me  if  I  have 
Avounded  you,  and  set  it  down  to  the  sincere  interest  I  have  felt 
in  you  from  the  hour  of  our  first  meeting." 

Then  saying  simply  and  fervently,  "  God  bless  you ! "  he 
left  me. 

I  laid  my  head  upon  my  mother's  Bible,  and  cried  yet  more 
heartily,  when  he  had  gone.  But  they  were  not  all  sad  tears. 
I  had  loved  him  dearly  before.  I  felt  that  I  could  die  for  him 
now.  I  understood  the  purport  of  his  warning,  so  delicately 
conveyed.  Of  all  my  father's  pupils,  he  w^as  the  only  one  who 
behaved  to  me  as  if  my  poverty  and  unprotected  situation  were 
incentives  to  respectful  treatment,  instead  of  excuses  for  bold 
admiration  and  unseemly  flirtation.     His  demeanor  to  me  was 


SUNNYBANK.  53 

courteous  and  modest,  as  if  I  had  been  a  queen  in  disguise.  Pie 
liked  and  esteemed  me.  Might  not  warmer  feelings  come  with 
time  and  the  development  of  such  characteristics  as  he  approved 
in  me?  It  was  a  preposterous  dream,  but  I  had  it  out.  I  saw 
no  more  the  poor  room ;  the  close  streets ;  the  foul,  ill-venti- 
lated city  ;  the  drunken  father  reeling  home  to  heap  abuse  upon 
my  head,  and  to  meet  sarcastic  recrimination  by  curses  —  per- 
chance blows ;  no  more  the  godless  household  where  heaven 
and  religion  were  never  named  but  with  jeers  and  oaths  ;  where 
poverty  joined  hands  with  guilt,  and  want  was  intensified  by 
surly  discontent.  I  painted  a  cottage  among  trees  and  flowers, 
and  wide,  green  fields ;  myself  redeemed  from  the  debasing 
associations  of  my  early  life,  elevated  to  the  position  of  the 
mistpess  of  this  paradise,  and  deemed  worthy  of  sitting  at  Ms 
side,  his  honored  wife,  in  the  sight  of  men  and  angels  ! 

Oh  !  I  did  mean  then  to  be  good  !  to  struggle  upward  through 
the  deadly  fog?  that  enwrapped  me  towards  the  light  he  had 
kindled  in  my  sight.  My  Maker  —  if  I  have  a  Maker  who  can 
read  hearts  —  knows  how  I  tried  to  bat^J^e  with  inward  evil  and 
outward  temptations.  Yet  here  I  %m,  to-night,  suflfering  the 
torments  of  the  lost,  who,  standing  upon  the  shore  of  the  great, 
fixed  gulf,  gnash  their  teeth  at  the  spectacle  of  the  bliss  of  the 
happy  ones  upon  the  other  tide,  —  envy,  and  hate,  and  blas- 
pheme ! 

I  have  been  raving,  I  believe  !  I  will  go  back  to  the  word 
that  threw  me  ofi*  at  a  tangent.  Marry  him  !  become  the  wife 
—  wedded  and  sure  —  of  Lynn  Holmes  Lacy,  Gentleman,  of 
' -mybank,  a  lineal  descendant  and  honorable  representative 
or  one  of  those  famous  ornaments  of  our  Republic  —  the  first 
families  of  Virginia.  It  looks  well  and  sounds  well.  This 
state,  I  am  led  to  believe,  I  may  take  upon  myself,  whenever 
it  pleases  me  to  smile  encouragement  upon  my,  as  yet,  unde- 
clared suitor.  We  would  not  be  an  ill-looking  couple.  I,  with 
my  dark  beauty,  would  set  off,  and  with  advantage  to  both,  his 
slender  figure,  chestnut  hair,  hazel  eyes,  and  rather  delicate, 
high-bred  features.  And  she  who  holds  his  heart-strings  may 
5* 


54  SUNNYBANK. 

lead  him  at  will.  His  love  for  the  mother  Avho  nursed  him 
through  a  sickly  childhood  is  wonderful,  and  others  say  very 
beautiful  to  behold.  It  would  be  a  rare  sight  to  witness,  were 
he  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  her  solicitations,  and  take  to  his  bosom 
the  woman  in  whose  hearing  she  has  declared  that  such  an  al- 
liance would  make  her  wretched.  In  common  with  the  rest  of 
Milord's  children  and  underlings,  he  looks  up  to  his  father  as 
the  embodiment  of  earthly  wisdom  and  goodness ;  accepts  his 
highest  expressed  Avish  as  a  mandate  ;  resents  any  dissent  from 
his  opinion  and  will  as  an  approach  to  sacrilege.  Yet  I  am 
vain  enough  to  fancy  that  I  could  work  upon  him  to  defy  this 
supreme  ruler  of  conscience  and  action.  As  to  Miss  Morris, 
when  was  ever  a  passee  belle,  however  pert  of  tongue  and  quick 
of  wit,  an  equal  match  for  a  beautiful,  determined,  and  not  over- 
dull  girl,  provided  the  umpire  were  a  young  man  with  love  in 
his  heart,  and  warm  blood,  instead  of  ice,  in  his  veins? 

I  write  it  down,  therefore,  as  a  tolerably  well-assured  fact, 
that  I  can  thwart  my  enemies,  cover  my  tormentor  with  con- 
fusion, and  win  for  myself  an  enviable  worldly  position  by 
effecting  this  union.  Maybe  accomplish  still  more — maybe 
sear  into  insensibility  this  pulsating  heart-nerve,  the  sharp  agony 
of  which  is  enough  to  drive  one  to  distraction.  I  have  heard  of 
such  results.  The  experiment  may  be  worth  trying,  ^ow  for 
a  glance  at  the  other  side  of  the  case.  Milord  took  occasion,  the 
otlier  day,  in  the  presence  of  his  assembled  household,  to  com- 
pliment my  practical  sagacity  —  my  "  excellent  common  sense," 
his  lordship  was  pleased  to  say.  Let  me  bring  it  into  play  by 
weighing  the  question  fairly.  I  remain  here,  a  humble  de- 
pendant—  since,  soit  my  grandfather  Pinely's  aversion  to  un- 
gentlemanly  toil ;  soit  my  father's  taste  for  luxury  and  the  fine 
arts  ;  soit  my  own  decided  disinclination  to  governessing,  clear- 
starching, and  road-mending,  joined  to  divers  recollections  of 
the  coarse  drudgery  which  I  have  known  by  experience,  and 
my  censor  from  hearsay ;  soit  any  one  or  all  of  these,  the 
truth  unquestionably  exists  that  I  infinitely  prefer  luxurious 
leisure  —  the  opportunities  and  facilities  for  cultivating  my  per- 


SUNNYBANK.  55 

sonal  and  intellectual  gifts  —  to  ignoble  and  ill-paid  toil.  Hon- 
orable independence  is  a  fine  thing  upon  paper  ;  but  I  love  the 
ease  of  the  flesh.  This  old  house,  with  its  lofty  rooms,  quaint 
nooks,  and  indescribable  but  delightful  flavor  of  antiquity,  suits 
me  well ;  ditto  the  well-bred  tone  and  habits  of  its  inmates.  I 
like  to  wear  handsome  dresses,  rich  silks,  fleecy  muslins,  cob- 
web laces,  and  soft  wools.  I  find  that  the  thousand  and  one 
refinements  and  comforts  which  wealth  can  procure  accord  as 
well  with  my  inclination,  agree  as  admirably  with  my  physical 
and  mental  health,  as  they  do  with  those  of  the  spoiled  favorite 
of  fortune,  my  benefactress'  daughter.  The  better,  doubtless, 
for  I  view  each  and  all  of  them  against  a  background  of  want 
and  woe,  such  as  she,  soft,  simple,  sweet,  innocent,  never 
dreamed  of.  Soft  and  simple  she  may  be,  but  she  has  had  the 
art  to  win  that  to  secure  which  I  would  have  gone  back  to  my 
former  estate  of  destitution  of  bodily  comfort,  and  reckoned  my- 
self rich  if  this  were  borne  for  and  with  him  I  loved. 

I  remain  here,  then,  I  was  saying,  a  humble  hanger-on  of 
the  Lacys,  in  unambitious  singlehood,  and  grateful,  make- 
one' s-self-generally-useful  dependence,  and  see  the  happy  couple 
married ;  should  she  desire  it  —  for  she  always  gets  whatever 
she  takes  it  into  her  small  brown  head  to  covet  —  I  may  enjoy 
the  high  privilege  of  making  myself  as  useful  to  Mrs.  Wilton 
as  I  have  done  to  Miss  Elinor  Lacy. 

"  To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  from  him  that  hath 
not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he  hath  !  "  "  Even 
that  which  he  hath  ! "  And  for  this  I  am  expected  and  enjoined 
by  the  affluent  pietists  about  me  to  be  devoutly  thankful !  to 
revere  and  worship  Him  who  has  permitted  the  robbery  of  the 
weak  and  poor !  to  love  the  wealthy  tyrant  who  has  wrested 
from  me  my  one  precious  possession. 


bQ  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    V. 


ELINOR. 


"  Nobody  talks  anything  but  politics  nowadays ! "  said 
Agatha,  to-night,  as  I  imparted  to  her,  in  an  "  aside,"  my  dis- 
satisfaction at  the  turn  the  conversation  had  taken. 

This  is  true  to  a  great  extent.  The  discussion  of  national 
disorders  has  become  the  principal  topic  of  fireside  talk,  as  of 
popular  harangues.  As  the  Republic  is  a  government  of  the 
people,  —  a  joint-stock  company,  wherein  the  meanest  citizen 
has  his  share,  —  so  this  unhappy  rupture  between  North  and' 
South  is  regarded  as  the  people's  quarrel.  Instead  of  leaving 
the  settlement  of  the  affair  to  rulers  and  statesmen  of  tried 
probity  and  acknowledged  wisdom,  men,  women,  and  children 
are  eager  to  thrust  officious  fingers  into  the  wound,  further  to 
inflame  and  to  tear  it  wider.  Up  to  to-night  I  have  had  little 
anxiety  as  to  the  final  result  of  the  battle  of  words  and  news- 
papers. All  that  I  know  of  the  merits  of  the  conflict  I  have 
learned  from  my  father.  He  maintains  that  the  Federal  Union 
is  the  essence  of  national  life,  and  while  he  looks  with  pain  and 
pity  upon  the  secession  of  the  far  Southern  States  from  the 
great  body  of  the  united  whole,  he  is  yet,  in  common  with  most 
others  of  his  party,  sanguine  as  to  the  peaceful  adjustment  of 
the  difficulty  at  no  very  distant  day. 

I  have  seldom  heard  Papa  speak  in  public  ;  but  this  morning, 
we  ladies,  instigated  by  Aunt  Ellen,  presented  a  petition  to  be 
allowed  to  accompany  the  gentlemen  of  our  home-party  to  the 
Court  House,  where  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the  county  was 
to  be  held  to  decide  upon  the  nature  of  the  instructions  to  be 
delivered  to  their  delegates  in  the  Convention  at  Richmond. 


The  day  being  bland,  we  foresaw  that  the  convocation  would 
be  upon  the  Court  House  green  ;  and  Uncle  Charley  had  private- 
ly engaged  an  upper  room  in  the  hotel  overlooking  this.  Papa 
demurred,  in  doubt  or  modesty  ;  but  we  insisted,  and  carried  the 
motion  triumphantly. 

Mamma  sat  at  the  same  window  with  me,  and  I  pleased  my- 
self with  the  fancy  that  one  of  the  speakers  of  the  day  remem- 
bered who  was  concealed  behind  that  blind.  As  I  saw  her  eye 
gleam  and  lips  part  in  breathless  attention,  heard  her  quick, 
irregular  breathing  during  the  more  animated  portions  of  the 
address,  and  when  her  hand  closed  upon  mine,  and  a  tear  soft- 
ened the  brightness  of  her  smile  at  the  burst  of  applause  that 
marked  the  conclusion  of  the  oration,  I  comprehended  what  a 
mighty  and  beautiful  thing  was  wedded  love  ;  two  hearts  beat- 
ing the  same  measure  ;  two  souls  welded  into  one,  each  inter- 
link making  the  united  twain  stronger,  happier,  holier.  It  must 
have  been  a  proud  hour  for  the  wife,  when  I,  the  child,  felt 
such  exultation  in  my  father's  success.  I  have  never  marvelled 
at  his  influence  in  his  neighborhood  and  county.  This  could 
hardly  be,  when  I  have  witnessed  from  my  birth  the  potency 
of  his  mild,  beneficent  rule  in  his  home  ;  yet  I  was  unprepared 
for  the  ardent  spirit,  rising  into  enthusiasm,  that  characterized 
his  eloquence.  I  had  looked  for  calmer,  more  dispassionate 
argumentation  throughout.  How  gloriously  the  patriotic  fire 
leaped  forth  !  renewing  his  youth  and  thrilling  his  audience  with 
electric  sympathy  ! 

Virginian  in  heart  and  soul  he  has  ever  been,  but  he  seemed 
more  proud  than  ever  of  his  birth-state  as  he  pictured  the  part 
he  believed  she  was  destined  to  play  in  the  present  emergency ; 
the  noble  stand  she  would  take  in  resisting  the  aggressive 
wave  of  treason.  He  saw  in  her,  he  said,  "  the  Great  Pacifica- 
tor, who,  strong  in  the  right,  and  determined  to  maintain  it  at 
all  hazards,  should  yet  speak,  in  calm  majesty,  to  the  fierce  sea 
of  national  faction,  and  it  should  be  still ;  the  Mother  of  States, 
who,  unrolling  the  record  of  her  illustrious  sons,  —  the  statesmen 
and  warriors  whom,  in  their  lifetime,  their  brethren  had  delighted 


58  SUNNYBANK. 

to  honor,  —  should  command,  in,  their  name,  the  cessation  of 
the  unnatural  strife  ;  and,  bearing  the  olive-branch  of  compro- 
mise,—  saying  to  the  North,  'Give  up!'  and  to  the  South, 
'  Keep  not  back  ! '  —  should  win  for  the  nation  length  of  days, 
and  peace  that  should  endure  forever  and  ever,  and  for  her  own 
head  a  crown  of  unfading  glory."  Brave  in  all  things  else  as 
we  knew  him  to  be,  it  was  evident  that  he  spoke  truly  when  he 
declared  that  he  dared  not  contemplate  the  reverse  of  this  pic- 
ture. In  a  few  brief,  reluctant  sentences,  he  portrayed  the 
vision  of  a  gallant  Commonwealth  hurried,  by  an  overstrained 
and  false  sense  of  honor,  and  the  flattering  lures  of  specious 
politicians,  into  a  rebellion  which  she,  at  her  yet  loyal  heart, 
condemned  and  abhorred ;  her  soil  drenched  with  the  blood 
and  swollen  with  the  graves  of  her  bravest  sons  ;  the  Aceldama 
of  the  Union,  foul  and  horrible,  spread  widely  over  territory 
where  the  fairest  germ  of  that  Union  had  been  nursed  into  life 
—  a  spectacle  so  monstrous  in  ghastliness  of  woe  as  to  wring 
from  the  spirit  of  every  patriot  Avho  once  gladly  claimed  Vir- 
ginia as  his  birthplace  a  cry  of  bitterness  like  that  which  rent 
the  Saviour's  heart  as  he  wept  over  Jerusalem  the  doomed. 

I  have  said  that  there  were  tears  in  Mamma's  eyes  when  he 
closed  his  appeal,  and  my  own  were  brimming.  I  was  not 
ashamed  of  the  weakness  when  I  turned  to  find  Harry  at  the 
back  of  my  chair,  his  face  full  of  sympathetic  emotion. 

"  You  may  well  be  grateful  for  such  a  father.  Brownie,"  he 
whispered.  Then,  to  Mamma  :  "  Mr.  Lacy  has  done  the  cause 
good  service  by  this  morning's  work,  my  dear  madam.  I  con- 
gratulate both  you  and  him." 

I  could  smile,  after  this,  at  Aunt  Ellen's  theatrical  exclama- 
tion, — 

"  '  Almost  thou  persuadest  me  ! '  I  will  never  listen  to  an- 
other Union  speech  while  I  live.  As  Sydney  Smith  said  of 
reading  books  prior  to  reviewing  them,  '  It  prejudices  one's 
mind  so  horribly.' " 

Escorted  by  Harry,  we  returned  home  to  dinner.  The  rest 
did  not  follow  us   until   evening.     Kolf  Kin-iston   came  with 


SUNNYBANK.  59 

them,  and  supped  with  us.  I  was  secretly  sorry  to  see  him ; 
yet  I  had  never  felt  more  kindly  toward  him,  —  more  disposed 
to  make  what  reparation  I  could,  by  friendly  words  and  actions, 
for  the  pain  I  had  given  him  in  the  past.  Surely,  in  the  plen- 
itude of  my  happiness,  I  can  afford  to  bestow  thus  much  pleasure 
upon  one  to  whom  I  can  never  grant  more. 

After  supper  we  were  all  gathered  in  the  parlor  —  a  large 
semicircle  around  the  fire ;  for  the  night  had  brought  a  chill 
rain.  Aunt  Ellen  opened  the  ball  by  one  of  her  gay  attacks 
upon  my  father. 

"  I  always  said  that  Ida,  here,  had  married  a  tolerable  copy 
of  the  Admirable  Crichton ;  but  if  I  had  doubted  it  up  to  this 
morning,  I  should  repeat  the  assertion  confidently  to-night.  Is 
there  anything  which  you  cannot  do,  may  I  ask?" 

"  One  or  two  things,"  answered  Papa,  with  the  indulgent 
smile  that  usually  responds  to  her  raillery. 

At  heart,  he  really  loves  and  esteems  her,  as  she  does  him ; 
yet  they  are  continually  sparring. 

"  Such  as  what?"  asked  she. 

"  Such  as  reforming  the  heretical  opinions  of  several  good 
friends  of  mine  upon  certain  subjects.  Ida,  dear,"  turning  to 
Mamma,  "  did  I  tell  you  there  was  not  a  pound  of  rice  to  be 
found  in  any  one  of  \he  three  stores  ?  West  expects  a  supply 
to-morrow,  he  says.  Ellen,  you  are  versed  in  mediaeval  lore : 
do  you  know  whether  the  Admirable  Crichton  purchased  the 
family  groceries  in  person  ?  " 

"  History  is  silent  upon  that  head,"  was  the  reply.  "  But, 
reasoning  from  common  sense  and  analogy,  I  should  say  that 
he  performed  such  duties  as  gracefully  as  he  twanged  his  lute, 
and  rode  down  his  adversary  in  the  lists.  Your  turn  for  prac- 
ticalities amazes  me.  When  your  wife  selected  you  as  a  partner 
in  the  dizzy  waltz  of  life,  I  was  decidedly  of  Beatrice's  opinion 
with  respect  to  Don  Pedro  —  that,  had  I  been  in  her  place,  I 
would  not  have  married  you  unless  I  might  have  another  for 
working-days.  You  were  too  costly  to  wear  every  day.  You 
have  disappointed  me  most  agreeably.      Do  you  know,"  re- 


60  SUNNYBANK. 

proachfully  to  Ross  and  Lynn,  "  what  hindered  my  enjoyment 
of  your  respected  parent's  distinguished  effort  of  this  forenoon  ?  " 

"  Contrariety  of  sentiment,"  suggested  Ross. 

"  The  sensation  of  being  in  the  wrong,"  put  in  Uncle  Charley, 
taking  his  cigar  from  his  mouth  just  long  enough  to  utter  the 
sentence. 

"I  will  finish  you  presently,"  retorted  Aunt  Ellen,  nodding  at 
the  latter.  "  But,  as  I  was  remarking,  I  could  not  rightly 
enjoy  the  eloquent  oration,  because  of  the  obtrusive  regret  that 
neither  of  you  degenerate  boys  will  ever  be  half  so  handsome 
as  your  father." 

Papa  bowed  in  mock  confusion,  his  hand  upon  his  heart. 

*'  Certainly  not,"  rejoined  Lynn.  "  That  would  be  an  act  of 
disrespect  incompatible  with  the  general  dutifulness  of  our  be- 
havior." 

"  Yes,"  pursued  Aunt  Ellen,  meditatively  ;  "  I  highly  approve 
of  your  following  your  estimable  patriarch's  lead  in  everything 
except  his  politics  :  they  are  behind  the  age." 

"  Mr.  Lacy  is  too  wise  not  to  yield,  in  time,  to  the  logic  of 
events,"  said  Rolf  Kingston,  pleasantly.  "  We  can  afford  to 
wait  until  these  shall  work  out  his  conviction  and  conversion. 
The  mail,  to-day,  brings  news  of  the  addition  of  another  State 
to  the  young  Confederacy.     The  cause  is  gaining  ground." 

"  There  has  been  nothing  to  equal  it  in  mad  folly  since  the 
devils  entered  into  the  herd  of  swine,  and  they  all  ran  violently 
dovvm  a  steep  place  into  the  sea."  Uncle  Charley  filliped  his 
cigar  impatiently.  "  The  demon  of  Disunion  has  entered  the 
masses,  and  they  are  on  the  stretch  for  the  precipice.  Let 
wise  men  stand  from  under." 

He  returned  his  Habaiia  to  his  lips,  and  puffed  in  the  long, 
slow  way  peculiar  to  him  w^hen  thoughtful  or  troubled. 

"  Oppression,  robbery,  and  the  threatened  subversion  of 
cherished  liberties,  are  stinging  goads,  which  have,  before  now, 
irritated  men  and  nations  to  madness,"  said  Rolf. 

""  I  challenge  you  to  produce  a  single  man,  between  the 
AUeghanies  and  the   Chesapeake,  who  has  been  impoverished 


SUNNYBANK.  61 

or  maltreated  merely  because  he  is  not  a  Yankee  and  an  Abo- 
litionist," rejoined  Uncle  Charley.  "  This  hue  and  cry  about 
Anti-slavery  fanatics  and  Personal  Liberty  bills,  and  violation 
of  the  Constitution  is  the  clap-trap  of  thwarted  politicians,  raven- 
ing after  the  loaves  and  fishes  upon  which  they  have  fattened 
for  so  many  years." 

"The  Constitution!"  repeated  Rolf,  catching  at  the  word. 
"  After  all,  therein  lies  the  chief  obstacle  to  the  independence 
of  the  South.  John  Randolph  says  of  the  doctrine  of  consoli- 
dation, '  The  Constitution  was  in  its  chrysalis  state.  I  saw 
what  "Washington  did  not  see  :  but  two  other  men  in  Virginia 
saw  it  —  George  Mason  and  Patrick  Henry  —  the  'poison  under 
its  wings  ! '  " 

"  There  is  no  use  in  attempting  to  disguise  the  truth  that  the 
ablest  men  of  our  state  did,  at  the  very  time  this  Constitution 
was  framed,  foresee  the  danger  that  now  hangs  over  us,"  said 
Lynn,  candidly.  "  Hear  Grayson  in  reference  to  this  weak 
joint  in  a  harness  otherwise  proof  against  repeated  and  violent 
attack — '  My  greatest  objection  is,  that  it  will,  in  its  operation, 
be  found  unequal,  grievous,  and  oppressive  ;  *  and  he  goes  on 
to  shadow  forth,  with  amazing  fidelity,  the  precise  condition  in 
"which  prominent  southern  leaders  aver  that  we  are  now  placed 
—  the  domination  of  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  sec- 
tion over  the  agricultural ;  burdensome  taxation  without  ade- 
quate representation,  —  in  short,  the  numberless  encroachments 
of  the  North  upon  the  prerogatives  of  the  South.  The  Avhole 
article  reads  like  a  fulfilled  prophecy." 

A  dead  silence  succeeded  this  observation.  It  had  taken  us 
all  by  surprise.  I  sat  upon  a  low  stool  between  Papa  and 
Harry ;  and  while  the  hand  of  the  former  only  rested  more 
heavily  upon  my  shoulder,  where  it  had  lain  since  Uncle  Char- 
ley's first  remark,  I  felt  Harry  start  and  turn  towards  the 
speaker,  as  if  uncertain  whether  he  had  heard  aright ;  Ross 
gazed  straight  into  the  fire  with  a  settled,  gloomy  air ;  Aunt 
Ellen  and  Mr.  Kingston  looked  pleased,  while  I  was  almost  sure 
that  a  swift,  bright  glance  went  from  Agatlia's  eyes  to  Lynn's. 
G 


62  SUNNYBANK. 

Mamma  interfered,  with  her  usual  tact,  to  aUer  the  saddened 
tone  of  the  conversation. 

"  I  have  faith  to  believe  that  order  will  come  out  of  chaos 
before  long.  At  present,  I  do  not  deny  that  to  me  the  politi- 
cal world  seems  bent  upon  enacting,  upon  a  gigantic  scale,  the 
comedy  of  '  Much  Ado  about  Nothing.'  After  diligent  study 
of  the  newspapers  of  both  sections,  and  much  and  tedious 
reading  of  speeches  and  manifestoes,  I  fim  yet  in  the  dark 
as  to  what  constitute  the  overt  tyranny  of  the  North  and  the 
wrongs  of  the  South.  As  Stephen  Blackpool  says,  '  it  is  a 
muddle ! ' " 

"So  were  the  waves  after  the.  case  of  wholesale /e?o  de  se  to 
which  I  alluded  just  now,"  said  Uncle  Charley. 

"Whereupon,  Mr.  Kingston  felt  himself  called  upon  to  set  forth 
at  leni!:th  the  unri"jhteous  dealin<]js  of  the  Government  with  the 

o  o  o 

down-trodden  Slave  States  and  the  exceeding  beauty  and  jus- 
tice of  Secession.  He  spoke  weU  and  more  temperately  than  I 
had  feared  he  might  do,  for  moderation  is  not  his  forte.  His 
climax  was  an  anathema  fulminated  aorainst  the  outra^jeous 
iniquity  of  the  election  of  a  candidate  by  the  votes  of  a  fac- 
tion, dominant,  for  the  time,  by  reason  of  the  lack  of  unanim- 
ity among  the  opposing  party. 

"  You,  too,  had  your  sectional  candidate  !  "  My  heart  trem- 
bled as  Harry  entered  upon  the  discussion  of  the  dangerous 
theme.     "What  if  he  had  been  elected?" 

"  There  is  a  radical  dissimilarity  between  the  cases,"  began 
Rolf. 

Lawless  Uncle  Charley  took  up  the  sentence.  "  Yes  —  the 
case  rivals  that  of  the  celebrated  hypothesis  of  your  bull  goring 
my  ox,  and  my  enraged  Taurus  inflicting  the  like  damage  upon 
your  peaceful  domestic  animal." 

Kolf  was  evidently  irritated  by  the  smile  that  went  around 
the  circle. 

"  It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  Southerners  to  submit  to  imperti- 
nent dictation,  to  interference  with  their  property  and  opinions, 
especially  from  their  inferiors,"  retorted  he,  hotly. 


SUNNYBANK.  63 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  the  plaintiffs  had  suffered  the  latter 
indignity,"  replied  Uncle  Charley,  with  quiet  contempt. 

"  For  more  than  seventy  years,"  — Harry's  voice  was  low 
and  calm,  his  enunciation  deliberate,  —  "  for  more  than  seventy 
years,  the  South  has  lived  and  prospered  under  the  Constitution 
that,  according  to  the  renowned  authorities  just  now  cited,  har- 
bored poison  under  its  wings.  Hers  have  been  the  chief  places 
in  our  national  councils,  and  the  most  lucrative  offices  in  the 
gift  of  the  Government.  It  is  her  boast,  in  the  words  of  your 
most  popular  journal,  which  I  now  hold  in  my  hand,  that  '  she 
has,  since  the  organization  of  the  Union,  held  the  balance  of 
power,  as  it  is  her  right  to  do^  her  citizens  being  socially,  intel- 
lectually, and  morally  superior  to  those  of  the  North.  But  — ' 
the  editor  goes  on  to  say  — '  our  whilom  servants  have,  of 
late,  strangely  forgotten  their  places.  They  now  aspire  to  an 
equal  share  in  the  administration  of  the  Government.  They 
have  presumed  to  elect  from  their  own  ranks  an  illiterate, 
base-born,  sectional  tool,  whom  they  rely  upon  to  do  their  foul 
work  of  subverting  our  sovereignty.  It  is  high  time  that  the  real 
masters  awoke  from  their  fatal  lethargy,  and  forced  their  insubor- 
dinate hinds  to  stand,  once  more,  cap  in  hand,  at  their  behest.' " 

"That  is  infamous!  —  the  ravings  of  a  foolish  or  drunken 
blackguard,"  cried  Ross,  impatiently. 

"  It  is  mild  abuse  compared  with  the  vituperations  of  one  of 
to-day's  orators,"  answered  Harry.  "  Not  an  hour  passes, 
when  I  am  in  the  city,  in  which  the  substance  of  this  para- 
graph is  not  uttered  in  my  hearing.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  the  General  Government  —  I  do  not  use  the  word 
Yankees  —  for  I  speak  of  North,  East,  and  West  —  twenty  mil- 
lions of  freemen  —  whether  these  will  bow  their  accustomed 
necks  to  the  offered  yoke,  or " 

He  stopped. 

"  Well,  sir  !     Go  on,"  urged  Rolf,  imperiously. 

Harry  fixed  his  clear,  gi'ave  eyes  upon  the  angry  face  of  the 
other.  1 

"  Or,  whether  Law,  Justice,  Right  shall  be  triumphant !  " 


G4  SUNNYBAkK. 

"  As  it  must  be  always,"  rejoined  my  father,  emphatically, 
breaking?  his  Iodg:  silence.  "  I  cannot  believe  that  the  Just 
Judge  and  Governor  of  the  earth  will  suffer  the  vine  He  has 
planted  to  come  to  shameful  nought  —  to  perish  utterly  and  dis- 
gracefully. In  some. portions  of  the  vineyard,  the  fences  are 
falling  fast,  and  the  wild  boar  of  Secession  is  making  sad  havoc 
among  the  roots  ;  but  I  am  hopeful  still." 

"  Is  it  not  one  of  the  laws  of  fermentation  that  it  works 
clearness  in  the  end  ?  "  asked  Mamma,  cheerfully. 

"  In  the  long  run,  it  does,"  said  Uncle  Charley.  "  But 
sometimes  the  run  is  wofully  long.  All  Christendom  holds  the 
belief  that  this  crooked,  crazy  world  will  come  out  right  and 
straight  in  the  Millennium  ;  but  Armageddon  and  its  valley,  in- 
undated with  blood,  must  first  be  waded.  I  am  no  alarmist, 
but  my  prophetic  spectacles  are  not  of  the  same  make  as  yours, 
Morton.  My  constant  prayer  is,  that  the  horrid  tide  in  which 
the  bridles  of  the  war-horses  are  to  be  dipped  may  not,  in  our 
day  and  sight,  be  fed  by  the  blood  of  brothers,  drawn  by 
brothers'  hands.  I  may  be  mistaken.  I  should  be  glad  to  be 
convicted  as  a  timorous  old  graybeard  and  causeless  croaker  by 
the  events  of  the  next  three  months." 

"  I  am  no  seer,  although  the  son  of  a  prophet,"  said  Ross, 
bowing  smilingly  to  his  father.  "  But  I  share  my  mother's 
hopes  of  the  peaceful  settlement  of  this  trouble.  The  great 
heart  of  the  nation  is  yet  sound  and  true.  I  think "  —  more 
lightly —  "  that  the  crushing  injuries  received  by  me,  individu- 
ally, at  the  hands  of  the  Yankees,  will  hardly  spur  me  up  quite 
yet  to  sharpen  my  carving-knife  for  your  throat,  old  fellow," 
clapping  Harry  upon  the  back. 

"  I  predict  civil  war  in  less  than  ninety  days,"  pronounced 
Rolf  Kingston,  portentously.  "  We  are  ready  for  it.  If  our 
enemies  are  not,  the  fault  is  theirs.  Like  honorable  foes,  we 
have  given  them  timely  warning." 

"  According  to  your  code,  what  a  pink  of  chivalry  is  a  rattle- 
snake !  "  said  Uncle  Charley.  "  Do  you  know,  my  valiant  Sir, 
what  I  would  do  with  traitors,  if  I  were  President  ?     I  would 


SUNNYBANK.  65 

treat  them  as  sane  Christians  do  rattlesnakes  —  put  my  heel 
upon  them,  and  trample  rattle  and  bite  out  of  them  !  " 

Again  Mamma  interposed  to  avert  open  contention. 

"  You  are  savage  in  your  similes,  to-night,  Charley." 

"  He  ate  duck  for  supper.  I  notice  that  too  much  meat 
at  night  always  makes  a  heathen  of  him,"  apologized  Aunt 
Ellen. 

Mamma  joined  in  the  laugh  raised  by  this,  as  did  Uncle 
Charley. 

"  Armageddon  and  rattlesnakes  are  unpleasant  things  to  talk 
of  before  going  to  one's  pillow,"  continued  Mamma  in  the  same 
jesting  tone.  "  To  my  apprehension,  the  alarm  raised  by  the 
blatant  fire-eaters  is  like  the  shepherd's  cry  of  '  wolf.'  I  hope 
that  the  good  old  Ship  of  State  will  '  sail  on  strong  and  great ' 
when  our  children's  children  are  in  their  graves." 

"  I  think  that  I  could  not  endure  the  agony  of  a  contrary  be- 
lief and  live."     Papa  spoke  abruptly,  and  with  emotion. 

He  pushed  back  his  chair,  and  began  walking  slowly  up  and 
down  the  room.  We,  left  around  the  fire,  looked  at  one  an- 
other, surprised  and  awed  by  his  manner  —  all  feeling  that  the 
discussion  had  been  pushed  too  far. 

"  '  Dies  irae—  dies  ilia ! 

Solvet  saeclem  in  favilla ! ' " 

he  repeated,  presently,  coming  back  to  us  and  leaning  over  Eoss' 
chair.  "  What  words  of  horror  and  OTief  are  too  strono-  in 
which  to  depict  a  calamity  that  is  now  the  plaything  of  a  thou- 
sand flippant  tongues  !  A  bleeding,  dismembered  Republic  !  a 
body  of  death,  crumbling  and  falling  apart,  in  place  of-  a  glori- 
ous, united,  indissoluble  Nation  !  " 

"  We,  who  uphold  the  right  of  Secession,  declare  that  each 
State  is  a  complete  living  system  in  itself;  that  separated 
from  one  or  all  of  the  rest,  it  could  exist  and  act  freely  as  be- 
fore," said  Rolf,  but  very  respectfully. 

"  I  have  heard  of  ocean  monsters,  the  fragments  of  which, 
when  the  main  body  was  hacked  to  pieces,  still  retained  life  and 
6* 


06  SUNNYBANK. 

motion  —  became,  as  some  affirm,  each  a  new  specimen  of  ani- 
mated Nature,"  rejoined  Uncle  Charley.  "  But  I  did  not  know, 
until  now,  that  our  Great  Republic  was  a  polypus." 

Rolf  bit  his  lip.  I  wish  that  Uncle  Charley  were  not  so 
severe  upon  him.  If  he  undertakes  to  correct  or  chastise  all 
who  hold  such  sentiments  as  Rolf  expressed  to-night,  he  had 
better  turn  the  whole  of  the  Southern  States  into  a  Reforma- 
tory. That  would  not  be  a  bad  remedy  for  radicalism  —  con- 
finement until  the  return  of  reason  to  the  patient. 

Aunt  Ellen  pretended  to  hide  a  yawn. 

"  More  monsters,  Charley !  We  shall  have  a  menagerie 
here  pretty  soon.  Good  people,  one  and  all,  doesn't  it  seem 
to  you  that  we  have  had  '  somewhat  too  much  of  this '  ?  It 
is  worse  than  folly  to  talk  politics  with  those  who  do  not  agree 
with  you.  By  so  doing  you  may  possibly  strengthen  yourself 
in  your  own  belief,  but  there  is  a  moral  certainty  that  you  will 
establish  your  adversary  ten  times  more  stubbornly  in  his.  I 
am  a  rank  rebel  myself,  but  I  love  my  ease  too  well  to  be  for- 
ever raising  a  dust  by  attempts  to  promulgate  my  notions. 
Time  will  bring  yon  all  around  to  my  stand-point  by  and  by. 
Why  should  I  fret  myself  about  that  which  the  gray  old  school- 
master will  teach  you  so  much  better  than  I  could  ever  do, 
even  were  you  amenable  to  reason  —  which,  allow  me  to  say, 
you  are  not.  Mr.  Wilton,  Birdie,  Ross,  Lynn  —  we  want  some 
music  to  take  the  taste  of  this  talk  out  of  our  mouths." 

Harry,  long  ago,  fell  into  the  habit  of  playing  my  accom- 
paniments, and  he  was  foremost  in  responding  to  the  appeal. 
As  we  stood  together  by  the  piano,  looking  over  the  music,  he 
said  softly,  "  Your  faith  is  not  shaken  by  anything  which  has 
been  spoken  here  this  evening?" 

"  No  ! "  I  answered,  and  added,  what  I  afterwards  said  to 
Agatha,  "  I  dislike  such  talks  excessively.  They  make  me 
uneasy  and  unhappy." 

"  Politics  are  an  unsafe  subject  for  parlor  talk,"  he  replied, 
"  for  the  obvious  reason  that  in  this  day,  they  lie  so  near  the 
heart  of  every  one  who  takes  any  interest  in  the  signs  of  the 


SUNNYBANK.  67 

times,  as  to  be  a  matter  of  vital  self-interest.  And  "  —  more 
softly  yet  —  "since  they  make  you  unhappy,  we  will  have  no 
more  of  them.  I  tried  to  remain  quiet,  to-night  but  I  forgot 
myself  once  or  twice.     Where  is  Lynn  ?  " 

He  was  talking  to  Agatha,  bending  over  her  as  she  sat  back, 
in  an  attitude  of  languid  grace,  upon  the  sofa.  Aunt  Ellen 
was  watching  them.  I  begin  to  suspect  that  she  does  not  ad- 
mire some  of  Agatha's  ways,  bewitching  as  I  think  them ;  and 
I  had  noticed  her  omission  of  A^ratha's  name  in  summoning 
the  musicians  of  the  party.  From  his  shaded  corner  Kolf 
Kingston  was  regarding  us  with  a  fixity  of  gaze  that  discon- 
certed me.     I  called  hastily  to  Agatha. 

"  Come,  dear  !  we  can  do  nothing  without  you." 

"  I  must  beg  leave  to  be  a  listener,"  she  pleaded. 

Lynn  broke  out  with  an  eager  remonstrance. 

"Do  not  urge  her,"  said  Aunt  Ellen.  "  She  does  not  be- 
long to  the  class  of  young  ladies  who  manoeuvre  to  have  an 
honor  pressed  upon  them  which  they  meant  from  the  beginning 
to  accept.     Miss  Agatha  is  the  soul  of  sincerity." 

"  We  all  know  that,"  I  began  ;  but  Mamma  raised  her 
finger,  unseen  by  Aunt  Ellen  and  Agatha,  as  a  signal  of  silence . 

"  My  dear !  "  she  said  to  the  latter,  "  if  you  are  not  really 
indisposed  to  music,  you  will  gratify  us  by  taking  your  part 
with  the  rest." 

Agatha  arose  instantly  with  the  sweet  smile  that  answers 
every  request  from  my  parents.  But  this  time  it  was  patient 
as  well  as  sweet,  and  I  found  a  chance,  after  a  while,  to  ask  her 
if  she  were  quite  well. 

"In  body  —  yes!"  was  the  reply,  accompanying  a  squeeze 
of  my  hand  that  made  me  writhe. 

Dear,  heroic  girl !  what  can  a  volatile  butterfly  like  me  un- 
derstand of  the  depths  of  a  nature  purified  and  strengthened  as 
hers  has  been  by  months  and  years  of  sorrow  ?  The  least  mist 
that  comes  between  me  and  perfect  happiness  throws  a  chili 
gloom  upon  my  heart.  I  cannot  sleep,  now,  for  the  uncomfort- 
able impression  produced  by  this  evening's  talk.     I  remember, 


68  SUNNYBANK. 

uneasily,  Uncle  Charley's  prognostications ;  Rolf  Kingston's 
vaunting  assertions  ;  most  distinctly,  Lynn's  advocacy  of  what 
our  father  —  what  we  all  believe  to  be  the  wrong  side.  I  am 
haunted  by  visions  of  the  woes  shadowed  forth  by  my  father's 
graphic  sketch  of  the  forenoon.  Mournful  accents  repeat  in  my 
ear,  "  Dies  irae  —  dies  ilia  !  " 

Is  this  presentiment  or  girlish  nervousness  ?  —  or  is  it  that  the 
shadows  which  checker  the  sunshine  are  deeper,  more  strongly 
defined,  than  those  drawn  by  paler,  less  certain  light? 


SUNNYBANK.  69 


CHAPTER    VI. 


AGATHA. 


Richmond,  April  7,  1861. 

This  is  what  I  call  life  !  a  ceaseless  rush  of  events,  that  leaves 
one  scanty  leisure  for  reflection  upon  one's  personal  gi'ievances. 

"  It  is  a  sublime  thought,"  said  Rolf  Kingston  to  me,  this 
evening,  "  that  we,  the  men  and  women  of  this  age,  are  help- 
ing to  make  history.  The  time  is  very  near  at  hand  when 
every  brave  son  of  the  South  may  be  —  not  in  a  figurative 
sense,  but  literally  —  'a  hero  in  the  strife.'" 

"  The  more  reason  why  you  should  not  choose  a  Yankee 
poet  as  your  fugleman !  "  returned  Miss  Morris,  smartly. 

She  does  not  admire  Mr.  Kingston.  Ni  moi  non  plus  !  but  it 
suits  me  to  make  use  of  him,  and  we  have  gradually  grown  to 
be  great  friends. 

"We  —  that  is,  Elinor  and  I — came  to  the  city  a  week  ago. 
After  the  breaking  up  of  the  birthday  party  of  Sunnybank,  I 
do  not  scruple  to  state  that  the  country  was  to  me  simply  in- 
supportable, the  routine  of  every-day  duty  and  falsely  so-called 
recreation  in  the  homestead  the  deadest  of  dead  levels,  made 
trebly  hateful  by  the  fierce  warfare  that  went  on  within  me. 
But  for  my  neuralgic  days  —  which  at  that  epoch  averaged  three 
per  week  —  I  must  have  broken  out  into  open  frenzy  —  shocked 
my  staid  benefactors  and  their  saintly  daughter  into  spasms  of 
holy  horror  at  ray  outrageous  impiety  and  more  outrageous  in- 
gratitude. I  survived  it  —  thanks  to  the  safety-valves  afore- 
said ;  but  the  frequent  repetition  of  these  attacks  aroused  Mrs. 
Lacy's  prudential  solicitude.  An  invalid  dependant  would  be 
an  undesirable  addition  to  her  menage^  and  she  summoned  the 


70  SUNNYBANK. 

family  physician.  I  played  the  interesting  patient  cleverly ; 
answered  readily  and  sweetly  the  questions  with  which  the 
solemn  old  goose  plied  me  ;  hearkened  with  profound  respect 
to  his  disquisition  upon  the  exceeding  delicacy  of  the  human 
nervous  system ;  was  assured  by  him  that  the  pain  which  I 
thought  was  in  my  brain  was  in  the  scalp  instead  ;  said  "  scalp 
being  a  wonderful  network  of  the  finest  and  most  sensitive 
nerves  ;  "  and  I  would  have  swallowed,  without  a  grimace,  what- 
ever vile  potion  he  had  chosen  to  poison  me  with,  had  not 
my  Lady  made  a  suggestion  that  displayed  more  sense  than  his 
entire  harangue. 

"  I  have  been  thinking,  Doctor,  that  a  change  of  air  and 
scene  might  benefit  her.  My  friend  Mrs.  Dana,  of  Richmond, 
has  written  a  pressing  invitation  to  me  to  bring  the  whole 
family  down  this  spring  to  visit  her.  This  is  impracticable  ; 
but  I  have  considered  seriously  the  expediency  of  sending 
Agatha  and  Elinor  to  her  for  a  while.  The  drier  atmosphere 
and  more  lively  scenes  of  the  city  may  exert  a  salutary  efiect 
upon  Agatha's  health. 

"And  Elinor's  spirits,"  I  longed  to  subjoin. 

This  show  of  maternal  feeling  towards  her  orphaned  protegee 
doubtless  misled  the  credulous  man  of  medicine,  who,  in  common 
with  most  of  the  denizens  of  the  neighborhood,  is  a  devout  be- 
liever in  my  Lady's  virtues  ;  but  I  saw  further  into  her  motives. 
The  "mocking-bird"  had  piped  feebly  of  late,  iter  blood  is 
luke-warm,  and  her  nature  shallow,  but  she  had  apparently 
missed  the  pleasurable  excitement  of  her  lover's  presence.  Mrs. 
Lacy  is  a  fond  mother,  and  because  fond,  observant.  But  the 
proprieties  must  be  observed.  Mrs.  Grundy  might  frown,  should 
Miss  Elinor  make  a  trip  to  the  town  wherein  her  betrothed  is 
known  to  reside,  unattended  by  a  friend  of  her  own  sex.  What 
more  plausible  pretext  for  such  a  movement  could  be  devised 
than  a  journey  and  visit  for  restoring  the  health  of  the  humble 
friend?  The  matter  was  adroitly  managed.  She  introduced 
the  subject  of  the  proposed  jaunt  to  Elinor  when  I  was  by. 

"  Mamma  !  "  exclaimed  the  ingenuous  young  creature,  whose 


SUNNYBANK.  71 

every  look  and  sigh  has  entreated  this  boon  for  four  weeks 
past.  "  Dear  Mamma ! "  her  breath  coming  in  fluttering 
pants,  and  her  cheeks  like  flame.  "  That  would  be  delightful ! 
But  do  you  really  think  that  it  would  be  quite  —  that  is  —  al- 
together   " 

"Proper?"  supplied  "Mamma,"  with  an  amused  smile. 
"If  I  were  not  assured  that  it  was  quite  right  —  altogether 
proper  —  I  should  not  propose  the  plan." 

"  Aha  !  "  meditated  audacious  I,  in  malicious  glee.  "  You 
tripped  there,  Madame  Mere  !  Just  now  it  was  Agatha's  deli- 
cate state  that  furnished  the  mainspring  of  your  scheme.  As 
if  I  had  not  known  all  along,  that  I  might  be  at  death's  door 
for  lack  of  change  of  prisons  ;  and  if  it  pleased  your  daughter's 
whim  to  remain  at  Sunnybank,  my  only  removal  would  be  to 
the  burying-ground  over  there  !  " 

I  wonder,  by  the  way,  whether  they  would  desecrate  the  soil 
so  long  enriched  by  the  dust  of  Kosses  and  Lacys,  by  laying 
there  the  offspring  of  a  penniless  adventurer  and  a  charity- 
school  teacher ! 

So  we  came  to  Richmond,  and  were  hospitably  received  by 
Mrs.  Dana,  the  widow  of  Mrs.  Lacy's  guardian,  and  sister-in- 
law  of  him  who,  next  to  Miss  Morris,  I  most  cordially  dislike 
and  dread  of  all  my  acquaintances  —  Elinor's  eternally-quoted 
"  Uncle  Charley."  He  resides  with  Mrs.  Dana,  her  daughters 
being  married,  and  her  sons  settled  in  homes  of  their  own.  I 
find  myself  very  comfortable  here,  being  treated  in  some  re- 
spects just  as  Elinor  is,  and  in  virtue  of  my  invalidism  receiv- 
ing distinguished  marks  of  attention  from  the  family  and  regular 
visitors  of  the  house.  Not  that  I  have  escaped  beyond  the 
atmosphere  of  the  Lacys.  I  did  not  hope  for  that.  Only  this 
afternoon,  I  lay  upon  a  sofa  in  the  library,  feigning  intense 
fatigue  and  drowsiness  after  a  walk,  and  listened,  Avith  closed 
eyes  and  placid  visage,  to  Mrs.  Dana's  talk,  two  hours  long, 
with  Miss  Morris,  upon  the  inexhaustible  theme  —  Ida,  Ida's 
husband,  and  Ida's  children. 

Miss  Morris  has  spent  the  day  here.     Her  nominal  home  is 


72  SUNNYBANK. 

in  a  fashionable  boarding-house  ;  but  she  is  never  there,  except 
at  night.  Her  proclivity  for  inflicting  her  company  upon  her 
friends  is  absolutely  terrific  ;  and  since  she  knows  everybody, 
and  visits  everywhere,  she  is  continually  upon  the  -wing.  Rolf 
Kingston  made  his  appearance  in  the  parlor,  last  evening,  very 
unexpectedly  to  all  excepting  myself.  Elinor  may  imagine 
that  he  has  given  her  up  —  has,  reversing  the  order  of  nature, 
cast  off  the  plumes  of  love  to  humble  himself  to  the  shell  of 
friendship.  But  my  nature  owns  afiinity  too  close  with  his  — 
wild,  fervid,  strong,  in  good  or  in  evil,  to  credit  the  ridiculous 
fable.  I  saw  his  eye  flash,  last  night,  in  alighting  upon  her, 
sitting  apart  from  the  rest,  by  a  window  overlooking  the  valley 
and  opposite  hills,  and  talking  with  her  accepted  lover.  If  that 
glance  had  been  a  drawn  sword  in  keenness,  as  it  was  in  glit- 
ter, those  two  lives  would  have  been  severed  at  once  and  forever 
bv  the  death  of  one  of  the  pair.  But  sword-thrusts  do  not  often 
accompany  jealous  glances,  in  this  degenerate  day. 

Like  every  second  man  whom  one  meets  on  the  street,  Rolf 
came  to  town,  he  says,  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the  Convention 
—  the  august  body  of  wiseacres  sent  hither,  in  solemn  mockery, 
by  constituents  as  purblind,  to  decide,  in  the  name  of  the  State 
of  Virginia,  a  question  the  reply  to  which  the  Fates  have  already 
written  in  the  sight  of  the  world.  But  these  representatives  of 
a  free  and  enlightened  people  seem  to  derive  an  infinite  amount 
of  satisfaction  from  making  speeches  portentous  as  to  length, 
gaseous  and  fiery  as  to  quality ;  the  Union  members  stigma- 
tizing their  opponents  as  "  traitors  ;  "  the  Secessionists  belabor- 
ing them,  in  turn,  as  "  base  hounds  of  submissionists."  Some- 
thino"  must  be  done,  I  suppose,  to  while  away  the  time  allotted 
to  the  farce.  Meanwhile,  the  real  storm  of  opinion,  without 
the  halls  of  legislation,  if  less  vociferous,  waxes  daily  more 
mi«^hty.  From  far  and  near,  people  flock  to  swell  the  living 
surges  that  sweep  and  dash,  and  mutter  hoarse  thunders  about 
the  Capitol  walls.  It  is,  as  Rolf  Kingston  says,  an  era  in  which 
it  is  w^ortli  one's  while  to  live,  —  whether  it  be  true,  as  alarm-^ 
ists  have  it,  that  the  life  of  a  nation  is  trembling  in  the  bal- 


SUNNYBANK.  73 

ance,  or  whether  this  stupendous  collection  of  combustibles  will, 
after  all,  have  an  inglorious  ending  in  smoke  and  harmless 
fireworks.  It  excites  me  —  gives  me  something  to  think  of 
besides  my  wrongs,  and  that  is  a  wholesome  change.  I  care 
so  little,  personally,  which  way  the  scale  turns,  that  I  can  freely 
enjoy  the  play  of  others'  passions. 

Mr.  Dana  is  cooler  and  more  bitter  than  ever.  Miss  Morris 
and  he  invariably  bring  to  my  mind  the  famous  Kilkenny  cats, 
when  they  cross  arms  upon  this  topic  of  public  affairs.  Ross 
l^ands  his  ground  tolerably  well,  although  drilling  nightly  with 
the  military  company  to  which  he  has  belonged  since  he  was 
nineteen  years  old.  Still  he  calls  himself  a  Union  man,  and 
would  probably  be  terribly  incensed  were  he  to  happen  upon  any 
of  the  letters  which  his  twin-brother  despatches  semi-weekly  to 
me  —  the  confidante  —  shall  I  say  the  cause  ?  —  of  his  grov/ing 
change  of  political  complexion.  But  decidedly  the  Unionist, 
'par  excellence^  of  our  present  family  group,  excluding  Mr. 
Wihon,  is  the  awhile-ago  uncontroversial  Elinor.  I  laughed 
heartily  to-night  to  see  her  plumage  ruflle  spiritedly  and  her 
face  flush  at  a  sharp  attack  of  Rolf  Kingston  upon  the  opposite 
party.  It  was  aimed,  I  saw,  more  at  Mr.  Wilton  than  at  the 
political  opponents  of  the  speaker  —  abstractly  considered  ;  but 
the  gentleman  assailed,  being  engaged  in  turning  over  a  book 
of  engravings  for  the  amusement  of  one  of  our  hostess's  grand- 
children, seemed  not  to  notice  the  ferocious  onslaught  of  his 
rival.  Elinor  sprang  to  her  arms  very  much  as  the  brown 
wren,  of  which  she  reminds  me,  might  fly  to  the  defence  of  her 
brood,  and  there  ensued  a  lively  skirmish,  in  which  she  assured- 
ly was  not  worsted. 

"  You  are  a  valiant,  but  a  very  silly  little  thing  !  "  remarked 
Miss  Morris,  stroking  the  pretty  brown  head,  that  has  an  ex- 
pression of  invitation  to  the  caressing  touch  of  all  whom  the 
owner  loves.  "  What  difference  will  it  make  to  you  whether 
the  old  government  stands  or  falls  ?  You  will  get  your  berries, 
water,  and  occasional  lump  of  sugar,  all  the  same,  whichsoever 
may  be  the  dominant  power." 
7 


74  BUNNYBANK. 

"Certainly  —  the  South  being  able  to  supply  all  three  of 
these  from  her  own  resources,"  said  Rolf,  in  reference  to  Eli- 
nor's assertion  that  this  section  of  the  country  would  be  the 
chief  sufferer  from  the  non-intercourse  of  the  two. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  there  would  be  enough  left  at  the  end  of  a 
year's  blockade  to  feed  the  birds  of  the  air,"  rejoined  the  simple 
damsel,  with  engaging  archness.  "  And  little  else  !  "  she  added, 
after  a  second's  pause. 

"  We  will  never  be  reduced  to  such  a  strait  that  we  cannot 
offer  food  and  homes  to  our  friends  —  bullets,  powder,  and  a 
bloody,  dishonored  grave  to  our  enemies ! "  Kolf  blazed  out, 
boldly  and  warmly.  "  You  can  tell  this  to  your  Yankee  teach- 
ers. Miss  Elinor,  at  your  next  lesson." 

My  heart  bounded  slightly  with  apprehension  or  excitement 
at  this ;  but  a  stealthy  glance  showed  me  Harry's  unmoved 
countenance,  still  bending  over  the  prints,  kind  and  genial,  as 
he  listened  to  or  talked  with  his  play-fellow.  For  all  that  he 
appeared  to  know  or  care,  Rolf  Kingston  and  his  doughty  dem- 
onstrations might  have  been  a  hundred  miles  removed  from 
his  cognizance. 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Kingston,"  said  the  miniature  duchess, 
draAving  up  her  wee  figure  with  cool  hauteur^  that  gave  her  a 
marvellous  resemblance  to  her  lady-mother.  "  But  I  employ 
no  teachers  who  would  be  the  wiser  for  any  information  that  I 
could  offer.  Their  vocation  is  to  impart,  not  receive,  instruc- 
tion. Uncle  Charley ! "  as  that  individual  made  his  appear- 
ance at  the  door,  "  you  are  impatient  for  your  game  of  chess,  I 
see.  I  am  ready  to  give  you  your  revenge,  for  beating  you  so 
frightfully  last  night." 

"  And  I  will  have  mine,  some  day  !  "  said  Rolf's  black  eyes, 
as  he  champed  the  ends  of  his  mustache. 

Catching  my  look,  he  colored  —  then  returned  it  w^ith  one 
full  of  meaning,  and  crossed  the  room  to  where  I  sat. 

"  You  and  I  ought  to  have  a  verbal  understanding,  instead 
of  the  tacit  sympathy  that  has  existed  between  us  for  so  long,'* 
he  said,  in   a  guarded  undertone,  drowned  by  Miss  Morris's 


SUNNYBANK.  75 

chatter  with  Mrs.  Dana,  the  rattle  of  the  chessmen,  as  they 
were  arranged  in  opposing  rows,  and  Jeannie's  merry  prattle. 

*'I  have  no  objection,"  I  answered,  kindly;  "that  is,  if 
my  counsel  or  sympathy  can  benefit  you." 

"You  are  too  clear-sighted  not  to  perceive  the  position  in 
which  I  stand  just  now,"  he  said,  hesitating  a  little,  as  if  the 
disclosure  were  an  awkward  or  difficult  one  to  make  in  words. 
Rallying,  he  dived  in  medias  res.  "  I  have  loved  her  ever  since 
I  was  fifteen  and  she  ten  years  old.  I  have  offered  myself  to 
her  four  times.  I  shall  never  give  her  up  until  she  is  married 
to  another ;  and  then,"  —  drawing  in  his  breath  hissingly,  — 
"  unless  I  am  bound  hand  and  foot,  I  shall  kill  him  !  " 

Fortunately,  I  am  not  easily  scared,  and  the  tawny  glare  in 
his  eyes,  the  desperate  resolve  expressed  by  feature  and  tone, 
merely  sent  my  blood  a  trifle  faster  through  my  veins,  —  thrilled 
me,  as  a  slight  electric  shock  would  have  done.  And  this  while 
I  felt  that  his  talk  was  not  all  gasconade,  —  that  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  pursue  the  girl  who  had  set  his  wild  nature  on  fire, 
up  to  her  wedding-day,  and  then  murder  the  man  who  had 
robbed  him  of  her.  Nice,  agreeable  discourse  this  for  a  re- 
spectable elderly  widow's  respectable  parlor,  within  earshot  — 
did  they  choose  to  play  eavesdroppers  —  of  said  widow,  and  an 
equally  respectable  elderly  bachelor,  to  say  nothing  of  an  any- 
thing-but-respectable-and-steady  tattler  of  an  old  maid !  I 
showed,  because  I  felt,  no  symptoms  of  fear  or  faintness  at  the 
sanguinary  picture. 

"  Behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth ! "  I  an- 
swered, in  pitying  jest.  "  I  should  hardly  have  expected  that 
one  like  her  could  have  stirred  your  heart  to  its  depths. 
But"  —  more  seriously  compassionate  —  "I  see  that  this  is 
so  !  " 

He  stared  at  me  —  half-soothed,  half-affronted. 

"  One  like  her  !  Miss  Agatha  !  Iler  equal  has  never  yet  been 
created  !  She  is  a  diamond  without  a  flaw  !  the  briorhtest,  love- 
llcst,  purest  fairy,  that  ever  a  base  mortal,  such  as  I  acknowl- 
edge myself  to  be,  dared  worship  and  woo  !     I  am  not  worthy 


76  SUNNYBANK. 

of  her  now,  —  I  can  never  be  her  peer  in  virtue  and  goodness  ; 
but  she  could  mould  me  into  whatever  likeness  she  wished.  I 
would  submit  to  any  probation  —  any  length  and  severity  of 
novitiate  —  if  I  had  but  the  hope  of  final  reward  —  her  love  — 
held  up  to  me.  I  am  here  to-night,  because  it  has  become 
next  to  impossible  for  me  to  live  out  of  sight  of  her.  And 
what  does  she  care  for  this  entireness  of  devotion  —  this  ardor 
of  affection  which  time,  and  slights,  and  coldness,  and  actual  re- 
pulse have  not  availed  to  cool?  Less  —  much  less  than  she 
does  for  the  liking  and  good  will  of  that  snarling  old  cynic 
whom  she  is  now  amusing !  " 

This  was  downright  fatuity,  and  threatened  to  degenerate 
into  drivelling  whimpering  over  the  lost  dolly  which  those  cross- 
grained  beldams.  Miss  Atropos  and  sisters,  had  refused  to  give 
into  his  embrace.  I  respected  him  less  than  when  he  had  talked 
of  murder  with  malice  prepense. 

"  Excuse  me  for  the  hint,"  I  offered  with  amiable  reluctance. 
"  But  it  strikes  me  that  your  behavior  to  her  is  often  the  re- 
verse of  conciliatory.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  it  pains 
her  when  you  address  her  as  you  have  already  done  twice  this 
evening.  Do  not  be  angry,  while  I  tell  you  a  little  story  of  a 
custom  prevalent  in  one  of  the  South  Sea  Islands.  When  a 
youth  becomes  enamoured  of  a  maiden  there,  he  goes  to  the 
spring  to  which  she  is  in  the  habit  of  repaying  for  water,  and 
lies  in  ambush  until  she  appears.  Then,  approaching  her  un- 
seen, he  knocks  her  senseless  with  a  club,  and  carries  her  off  in 
triumph  to  his  home.  Custom  reconciles  one  to  many  odd 
fashions  ;  but  tliis  one  is  not  likely  to  be  popular  in  civihzed 
countries." 

He  did  not  smile,  but  neither  did  he  seem  offended  —  only 
sad  and  meditative. 

"Is  this  so?  Am  I  then  an  unmitigated  brute  —  a  rough, 
coarse  barbarian,  where  I  would  inspire  love  and  confidence  ? 
And  to  her  —  poor  tender  Birdie  !  " 

Now^  I  respected  him  least  of  all !  I  could  have  laid  a  hon-ie- 
whip  soundly  over  his  comely  shoulders  for  his  boyish  wander- 


SUNNYBANK.  77 

ings.  "What  is  there  about  this  deer-eyed  russet-skinned  elfin 
girl,  with  her  bird-like  chirp,  and  swift,  skimming  gait,  that  so 
fascinates  all  who  behold  her,  with  the  solitary  exception  of  my 
stony-hearted  self?  Upon  this  subject,  Rolf  Kingston  might 
and  did  talk  like  a  fool ;  but  in  other  respects,  I  knew  him  to 
be  the  reverse  of  a  blockhead.  This  master-passion  of  his  soul, 
measuring  its  age  by  decades,  is  not  the  blind  adoration  of  a 
^raw  country  lad  for  a  moderately  pretty  face  and  sweet  smile. 
His  natural  abilities  are  fine,  and  they  have  been  improved  by 
travel  and  cultivation.  He  has  seen  fair  and  wise  women  in  this 
and  in  other  lands  ;  yet  he  turns  aside  from  all  to  prostrate  him- 
self before  this  insignificant  specimen  of  femininity  with  spirit 
as  abject  as  was  simple  Harry  Foker's  when  he  prayed  that 
French  weasel,  Blanche  Amory,  to  put  her  foot  upon  his  neck. 
Rolf  shook  off  his  reverie,  with  an  effort  to  regain  his  manli- 
ness, after  the  repentant  ejaculation  last  recorded. 

"  You  cannot  understand  how  I  am  wrought  up  to  say  things 
that  sound  to  others  unkind  and  ungentlemanly  !  "  he  pleaded, 
deprecatingly.  "  Just  now,  for  instance,  it  nettled  me  to  hear 
her  quoting  the  Submissionist  cant  which  I  was  certain  she  had 
caught  from  that  confoundedly  cool  hand  over  there  "  —  motion- 
ing slightly  towards  Harry.  "  I  want  you  to  be  perfectly  frank 
with  me.  Do  you  believe  that  she  is  engaged  —  that  she  will 
ever  be  engaged  to  that  —  that " 

"  Gentleman  !  "  I  finished  the  sentence. 

He  smiled  —  or  rather  sneered.  "  I  suppose  that  we  may  as 
well  call  him  by  that  name  whether  he  is  entitled  to  it  or  not ! 
"Will  she  ever  marry  him  ?  " 

"  Never ! " 

I  was  not  conscious  that  I  intended  to  utter  the  word,  until  I 
heard  the  hollow  echo  of  a  voice  that  did  not  sound  like  mine, 
and  saw  the  blended  surprise  and  relief  portrayed  upon  his 
visage.     Did  devil  or  prophetic  angel  speak  through  my  lips  ? 

"  Thank  you  !  You  are  a  better  judge  than  I  —  not  merely 
because  you  have  more  and  better  opportunities  of  observation, 
7* 


78  SUNNYBANK. 

but  you  are  more  impartial.  Jealousy  warps  the  perceptions 
fearfuUy ! " 

"  You  need  not  tell  me  that !  "  I  returned. 

He  absolutely  laughed  now  —  like  a  boy  from  whose  mind  a 
grbat  load  had  been  lifted. 

"  I  dare  say  I  have  made  myself  ridiculous  in  your  eyes. 
Nor  do  I  expect  you  to  comprehend  the  extent  of  the  service 
you  have  done  me.  The  day  may  come  when  you  can  under- 
stand it  better  than  you  do  now.  If  it  should,  I  hope  it  may 
be  in  my  power  to  testify  by  my  deeds  how  grateful  I  am  for 
the  sisterly  sympathy,  the  wise  advice,  you  have  given  me." 

"  It  is  little  to  give,  but  sympathy  is  all  I  have  to  offer  my 
friends  in  their  trouble  or  their  joy,"  I  said,  tremulously. 
"  You  recollect  the  fable  of  the  lion  and  the  mouse.  I  cannot 
offer  to  gnaw  asunder  the  meshes  of  the  net  Love  has  thrown 
over  you.  You  would  not  thank  me  for  the  proposal  or  the  act. 
Still,  exigencies  may  arise  in  which  I.  can  be  of  use  or  com- 
fort to  you.  If  so,  command  me !  For  the  present,  be  sure 
that  you  have  my  best  wishes  for  your  success  —  for  your  final 
happiness." 

His  conceit  did  not  strangle  at  the  huge  sugar-pill.  I  marked, 
with  wicked  glee,  his  bow  of  grateful  acknowledgment  of  his 
puissance  and  my  impotence,  —  as  a  king  might  bend  to  a  pretty 
peasant  who  restored  a  fallen  pocket  handkerchief  to  his 
Majesty. 

As  if  I  did  not  hold  his  most  precious  heart-secret  in  my 
hand,  untrammelled  by  promise  of  safe-keeping !  as  if  I  had 
not  read  him  through,  during  this  brief  dialogue,  as  easily  as  a 
child  does  a  primer, — his  weaknesses,  his  hopes,  his  dreads, 
—  while  he  was  ignorant  of  my  hidden  "history  as  "swart 
Paynims  "  of  the  missal  to  which  poor  Keats  likens  his  Made- 
leine's heart !  Men  are  massive  machines,  but  the  works  are 
generally  ridiculously  simple  in  structure  and  arrangement.  A 
woman's  eye  and  hand  are  seldom  long  in  detecting  and  regulat- 
ing the  motive  power.  ^ 

Luckily  for  my  enjoyment  of  the  evening,  Mr.  Kingston  had 


SUNNYBANK.  79 

an  engagement  elsewhere,  and  his  departure  left  me  free  to  join 
Harry  and  Jeannie  at  their  remote  stand.  We  turned  over  the 
engravings,  happily,  for  a  season.  I  am  learning  to  control 
myself  outwardly  in  his  presence.  I  copy  diligently  the  gen- 
tleness which  he  once  told  me  was  one  of  his  betrothed*s  chief 
charms.  I  guard  sedulously  against  the  morbid  outbursts  which 
he  has  also  told  me  —  more  than  once  —  pained  and  repelled 
him,  —  I  infer  from  the  connection  in  w^hich  the  remark  is 
usually  made,  because  this  same  pattern  for  the  unimportant 
remainder  of  her  sex  never  yields  to  such  sinful  repinings,  such 
injurious  doubts  of  her  kind.  It  would  be  strange  if  she  did. 
If  no  one  had  ever  treated  me  cruelly ;  if  I  had  never  looked 
vainly  into  a  human  face  for  love  and  smiles  ;  if  poverty,  de- 
pendence, and  enforced  sycophancy  were  to  me  matters  of  far- 
off  hearsay,  the  probability  is  that  I  should  be  on  excellent 
terms  with  myself  and  the  world  at  large.  But  my  conduct  has 
been  exemplary  recently,  and  my  hero  has  repeatedly  signified 
his  approbation  of  it.  He  is  extravagantly  fond  of  children, 
and  they  always  love  him.  There  was  more  reality  than  pre- 
tence in  his  semblance  of  content  as  he  sat  apart  with  his 
young  favorite.  When  I  drew  near,  she  vacated  her  chair,  and 
.remained  standing  beside  him,  her  arm  about  his  neck,  her 
sunny  curls  mingling  with  his  dark  locks.  Now  and  then, 
while  we  talked,  her  hand  stole  up  to  his  cheek  in  timid  caress- 
ing. He  smiled  the  second  time  this  happened,  and  detaining 
the  shy  fingers  in  his,  pressed  them  silently  to  his  lips. 

It  is  Harry  Wilton's  nature  to  love  all  things  innocent,  help- 
less, and  affectionate  ;  and  in  observing  this  fresh  proof  of  this 
|trait,  the  thought  smote  me  suddenly  and  sharply,  as  though  it 
had  never  pierced  me  until  then,  that  Elinor's  winning,  artless 
manner,  her  naive  sprightliness,  her  ready  smile  and  frank 
speech,  had,  by  appealing  to  this  his  vulnerable  point,  beguiled 
him  into  the  belief  that  she  would  make  a  congenial  companion 
for  life.  The  oak  invites  the  vine  to  cling,  —  takes  pleasure, 
maybe,  in  its  soft  clasp  and  bright  leaves  ;  but  when  the  storm 
bows  its  proud  head,  the  monarch  needs  a  mate  more  stanch 


80  SUNNYBANK. 

and  hardy,  whose  boughs,  interlaced  with  a  grasp  like  the 
death-hold,  may  stay  him  against  the  blast.  Would  the  self- 
deceived  man  ever  awake  to  a  knowledge  of  his  error?  and  if 
so  —  when?  Revolving  these  things  in  my  mind,  I  smiled 
sweetly,  talked  dispassionately  and  sensibly,  as  I  might  have 
done  with  my  great-uncle.  By  and  by,  I  saw  his  face  light  up 
with  a  smile  of  peculiar  radiance,  —  a  gleam  my  gayest  sallies 
and  most  engao-innr  wiles  have  never  called  forth,  —  and  I  knew, 
before  I  felt  her  lean  over  my  shoulder,  who  had  approached 
us.  Harry  arose,  disengaging  Jeannie's  arm  from  his  neck, 
although  he  still  kept  her  hand  in  his,  and  offered  a  chair  to  his 
fair  one.  She  declined  it.  She  "preferred  to  stand  —  was 
tired  of  sitting,"  and  he,  perforce,  must  stand  also. 

"  You  were  the  victor  in  both  games  !  "  he  said,  gently,  con- 
gratulatorily. 

How  had  he  known  this,  when  they  had  been  divided  by  the 
width  of  the  room,  and  I  had  not  seen  him  glance  once  towards 
her? 

"  Yes  !  Poor  Uncle  Charley  !  "  she  laughed  ;  "his  hand  is 
losing  its  cunning  !  " 

This  to  her  late  opponent,  who  had  followed  her. 

"  Say,  rather,  that  yours  has  learned  new  tricks  !  "  was  his 
rejoinder ;  "  Yankee  tricks,  I  suspect ! "  menacingly,  to  IMr. 
Wilton. 

The  ches§-board  is  often  an  accessory  to,  or  diversion  from, 
the  love-making  of  the  engaged  pair;  so  it  was  quite  en  regie 
that  Mr.  Wilton  should  smile  proudly  down  at  his  pupil,  and 
that  she  should  return  the  smile  by  a  blush. 

"  Are  you  weary  of  victory,  or  can  you  play  one  game  more  ? ') 
he  asked,  next. 

She  moved  off  with  him,  with  dutiful  alacrity,  toward  the 
table  she  had  lately  quitted.  Mr.  Dana  took  the  chair  next 
mine,  and  Jeannie's  grandmother  sent  her  to  bed.  I,  left  with 
an  old  bachelor  and  a  picture-book  upon  my  hands,  withdrew 
next,  upon  plea  of  my  health.    Ten  minutes  later,  I  heard  Miss 


SUNNYBANK.  81 

Morris  leave  the  house  under  Mr.  Dana's  escort,  and  Mrs. 
Dana  passed  my  chamber  on  her  way  to  hers. 

Those  two  are  alone  in  the  parlor  now,  —  looking  into  each 
other's  eyes  and  each  other's  hearts,  secure  from  angry  and 
jealous  observation  ;  the  outer  world,  with  its  strifes,  its  changes, 
and  its  passions,  swept  far  away  from  sense  and  thought.  I 
may,  at  times,  lull  the  pang  that  is  ever  eating  into  my  heart, 
by  picturing  to  myself  the  awakening  tha.t  may,  that  ought  to 
come  to  him,  but  I  do  not  delude  myself  with  the  fancy  that  it 
has  begun  yet.  His  infatuation  is  greater  this  hour,  than  when 
he  first  declared  his  love.  I  see  it  —  I  feel  it  —  and  I  live  !  I  sit 
here  in  the  lone  night-watches,  and  await  her  appearance  in  the 
room  we  together  occupy.  I  know,  when  she  gives  me  a  good- 
night kiss,  that  her  lips  are  warm  and  quivering  from  the  pres- 
sure of  his ;  that  his  hands  have  held  hers ;  that  the  happy 
murmurs  I  hear  in  her  dreams  are  repetitions  of  his  fond 
tones. 

"  The  day  may  come  when  you  will  understand  this  subject 
better  ihn,n  you  do  now ! "  spoke  Rolf  Kingston,  out  of  the  piti- 
ful pool  of  his  experience. 

Will  it? 


82  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER   Yll, 

ELDfOE. 

April  16. 

It  is  over !  For  two  days,  the  air  had  been  thick  with 
rumors  of  war  and  bloodshed.  For  two  days,  the  eyes  and 
thoughts  of  the  Nation  had  been  fixed  upon  that  fire-girt  South- 
ern Island,  with  its  brave,  but  feeble  garrison,  —  the  Represen- 
tative of  that  Nation's  majesty,  —  testifying  in  the  defiant  boom 
of  every  cannon's  answer  to  the  rebel  bombardment,  that  resist- 
ance to  armed  treason  is  henceforward  to  be  learned  as  one  of 
the  Nation's  laws.  For  two  days,  thousands  and  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  loyal  hearts,  all  over  this  broad  land,  had  cried 
mightily  unto  our  country's  God  to  avert  this  last  and  direst 
trial,  —  the  humiliation  of  our  flag  by  hands  that  once  helped  to 
rear  it  in  the  sis^ht  of  the  world  as  the  beloved  ensi<2i:n  of 
National  faith.  But  under  the  whole  expanse  of  heaven  there 
was  no  answer  to  these  prayers  except  the  reverberation  of  the 
cruel  guns.     On  Saturday  —  the  14th  of  April  —  the  end  came  ! 

I  had  promised  to  walk  with  Harry,  and,  equipped  for  the 
excursion,  was  entering  the  parlor,  where  he  awaited  me,  when 
the  breathless  calm,  that  had  brooded  over  the  city  for  twenty- 
four  hours  past,  was  broken  by  the  sullen  roar  of  a  cannon. 
Another  and  another  followed. 

"  Seven  !  "  I  exclaimed,  sick  and  shuddering. 

The  signal  was  unexpected,  but  I  interpreted  the  dread  signif- 
icance of  the  number  of  the  revolted  States. 

Harry  caught  my  hands,  and  led  me  to  the  sofa. 

"  It  must  be  true,  dearest !     The  fort  has  fallen  ^" 

Then  he  dropped  his  head  upon  the  arm  of  the  sofa,  and  was 


SUNNYBANK.  83 

mute.  I  knelt  before  him,  praying  him  to  be  comforted ;  but 
my  own  spirit  was  bowed  to  the  lowest  dust.  While  I  spoke 
words  of  hope  and  resignation  to  him,  my  rebellious  heart  was 
crying  out,  "  Hath  the  Lord  forgotten  to  be  gracious?" 

*'  Poor,  trembling  darling !  "  Harry  said,  presently,  lifting  a 
countenance  pale,  indeed,  but  steadfast  and  even  smiling,  as  ho 
addressed  me.  "  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  myself  for  failing 
you  at  this  moment !  We  will  be  courageous  now,  love  !  Will 
you  wait  for  me  here,  while  I  go  out  to  learn  the  worst?" 

"  I  will  go  with  you  ! "  I  answered  ;  and  in  two  minutes  more 
we  were  in  the  open  air. 

The  scene  there  presented  will  be  with  me  while  life  remains. 
The  street  was  alive  with  people  ;  Secession  flags  blossomed  in 
rank  luxuriance,  in  windows  and  from  roofs  ;  were  waved  from 
doors  and  porches  by  girls  and  women ;  carried  aloft,  in  mad 
exultation,  by  boys  along  the  sidewalks  ;  hung  upon  lamp-posts 
and  stretched  from  side  to  side  of  the  thoroughfare.     Joy,  in- 
toxicating  and  unbounded  —  riotous  delight  —  was  manifested 
everywhere,  by  all  classes.     Staid  citizens  threw  up  their  hats 
and  hurrahed   that  Sumter   had  fallen,  and    ladies    elegantly 
dressed  and  refined,  in  feature  and  carriage,  sounded  the  same 
refrain  from  the  balconies  of  stately  dwellings.     It  was  a  car- 
nival scene  —  bewildering,  exciting,  frantic.     Harry  spoke  but 
once  in  our  hurried  passage   along  the  route  to  the  Capitol 
Square,  whither  we  were  swept   by  the   stream  of   jubilant 
pedestrians.     In  the  porch  of  a  handsome  house  stood  a  lady 
whom  we  both  knew  —  a  young  and  happy  wife  and  mother. 
She  held  her  babe,  a  laughing  boy  of  ten  months,  aloft  in  her 
arms.     With  both  chubby  hands  he  grasped  a  flag  bearing  the 
stars  and  bars,  and  upon  his  bosom  was  pinned  a  rebel  cockade. 
"  Hurrah,  my  little  man  !  Sumter  is  down,  and  the  Yankee 
nation  will  soon  follow  !  "  she  cried,  in  the  shrill  accents  of  in- 
tense joy,  as  we  passed. 

"  And  you  may  bemoan  this  day  in  tears  of  blood  !  "  uttered 
Harry,  low  and  huskily.     "  Is  the  world  going  mad?  " 

One  might  have  thought  it,  from  the  spectacle  presented  in 


84  SUNNTBANK. 

the  square.  Every  avenue  leading  to  it  was  thronged.  The 
beautiful  grounds  -were  filled,  and  upon  the  southern  terrace  was 
the  park  of  artillery  that  had  fired  the  salute.  The  Governor's 
mansion  was  beleaguered  by  a  moving  mass  of  figures,  and,  as 
we  entered  the  upper  gate,  a  long  procession  issued  from  the 
western  door  of  the  Capitol,  and  descended  the  steps. 

"  The  Convention  has  adjourned  for  the  day,"  said  Harry. 
"  Stand  back  here  out  of  the  press  until  they  have  gone  !  " 

They  went  by  in  groups  of  two,  three,  and  more  ;  some 
striding  on  in  haste  or  excitement,  talking  loudly  and  gesticu- 
lating gleefully.  Others  were  grave  and  slow,  deep  in  conver- 
sation that  reached  no  ears  except  those  for  which  it  was 
intended  ;  others  yet,  —  and  these  were  easily  distinguishable  as 
prominent  Unionists,  —  with  depressed  heads  and  visages  set  in 
wordless  sadness.  One  of  these,  recognizing  Harry,  approached 
us,  and  with  a  brief  apology  to  me,  drew  him  a  few  paces  apart. 

"Withdrawing  my  eyes  from  them,  lest  I  should  glean  some- 
thing of  what  was  evidently  a  confidential  conversation,  I 
discovered  that  I  was  standing  at  the  base  of  Crawford's  monu- 
ment—  his  last  and  greatest  work.  Above  me  towered  the 
colossal  equestrian  figure  of  Washington,  and  the  tearless  sor- 
row, that  already  hindered  respiration  and  made  speech  impos- 
sible, nearly  choked  me  as  I  gazed  upon  the  almost  divine 
sweetness  and  dignity  in  the  countenance  of  the  Father  whom 
V^irginia  had  given  to  a  united  people.  "Was  the  dear  name, 
*'  Patriae  Pater,"  to  be  from  this  day  a  forbidden  word?  Harry 
and  his  friend  still  conferred  apart,  and  leaning  against  the 
pedestal  of  Henry's  staute,  I  turned  my  thoughts  from  the  scene 
before  me  to  the  other  and  far  different  one  conjured  up  by 
memory. 

Three  short  years  before,  I  had  seen  collected  here  statesmen, 
orators,  and  poets  —  honorable  men  not  a  few  —  and  a  mighty 
concourse  of  citizens  from  North,  East,  South,  and  "West,  to 
unite  in  doing  homage  to  the  names  of  the  great  ones  whose 
deeds  and  virtues  were  commemorated  by  the  enduring  marble 
and  bronze.     Everett,  Wise,  and  Yancey  had  thei/   joined 


SUNNYBANK.  85 

hands  and  proclaimed,  in  stirring  strains,  their  perpetual  brother- 
hood ;  haxl  sat,  side  by  side,  in  the  view  of  admiring  thousands, 
in  the  august  semicircle  that  held  Scott  as  the  hoary  and 
majestic  keystone  of  the  arch.  Now  —  O,  it  were  meet  that  a 
pall  should  hide  the  magnificent  pile  from  the  light*  of  heaven, 
since  upon  our  National  Ensign  had  been  written — "  Ichabod  ! " 

A  cheer  from  the  crowd  called  my  attention  to  the  Capitol  — 
and  I  saw,  w^ith  horror  and  indignation  I  cannot  describe  —  the 
rebel  flag  floating  from  the  roof  I 

Harry  came  up  to  me  instantly.  He  was  whiter  than  when 
he  had  left  me,  and  the  rigidity  of  his  features  was  like  that  of 
the  bronze  visages  above  us. 

"  I  cannot  breathe  here  !  "  he  said.  "  Take  my  arm,  and  let 
us  get  out  of  the  crowd  !  '* 

Not  another  word  passed  until  we  were  far  beyond  the  tumult, 
in  quiet,  embowered  streets,  the  inhabitants  of  which  seemed  to 
have  forsaken  them  for  the  lower  parts  of  the  town ;  where  the 
sound  of  our  footsteps  was  strangely  distinct,  as  we  loitered  along 
the  pavement,  and  the  narrator's  voice  was  lowered,  lest  his  story 
should  be  audible  to  chance  listeners  behind  the  blinds  of  the 
still  houses. 

Such  a  tale  as  it  was  !  There  is  no  need,  in  this  generation, 
to  write  the  details  of  the  fight.  They  are  stamped,  as  with 
fire,  upon  i\iQ  memory  of  the  youngest  child,  who  knows,  to-day, 
how  Sumter  was  assailed,  and  how  it  fell.  I  —  a  southern 
woman  —  will  never  set  down  the  shameful  record,  althou^-h  it 
may  be  that  no  eyes  but  mine  will  read  this  page. 

"  There  are  two  rifts  of  light  in  the  cloud !  "  I  remarked, 
when  Harry  was  through. 

I  tried  to  say  it  cheerfully,  for  he  had  grown  paler  and  more 
sorrowful  with  every  word. 

"What  are  they?" 

*'  First,  the  lives  of  the  handful  of  brave,  true,  soldiers  have 
been  mercifully  —  I  might  say,  miraculously  —  preserved." 

"  God  bless  every  one  of  them  !  "  interrupted  my  listener. 

"Amen!"  I  said,  fervently.     "Then,  again,  this  overt  act 


86  SUNNYBANK. 

of  treason  on  the  part  of  those  whose  watchword,  until  now, 
has  been  peaceful  separation  ;  the  barbarous  attack  upon  those 
whose  only  crime  was  fidelity  to  the  charge  committed  to  them 
by  their  government  and  ours  ;  the  outrage  offered  our  dear  old 
Flag,  — must  open  the  eyes  of  all  wise  and  good  men  to  the  real 
animus  of  the  rebellion.  K  there  is  a  spark  of  patriotic  fire 
left  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  have,  until  now,  wavered  be- 
tween treason  and  loyalty,  this  must  fan  it  into  a  flame.  To- 
day's work  will  decide  the  great  question  in  Virginia.  She 
cannot  hang  back  now." 

"  I  believe  that  she  will  not !  But  let  us  dismiss  politics 
once  more,  Nellie  !  I  am  heart-sick,  and  I  would  like  to  forget 
the  whole  hateful  subject  —  if  I  can !  Here  is  our  favorite 
view,  and  it  was  never  more  lovely." 

We  were  upon  the  summit  of  Gamble's  Hill,  overlooking  the 
armory,  the  river,  Belle  Isle,  and  the  surrounding  islets, — each 
with  its  willow  grove,  —  the  flashing  rapids,  and  the  verdant 
slopes  beyond.  To  our  right  lay  Hollywood,  beautiful  in  its 
wooded  hills,  and  streams,  and  peaceful  valleys,  with  their  sacred 
treasure  of  peaceful  sleepers.  To  our  left  stretched  out  the  city 
of  the  living,  —  noble  and  fair,  —  and,  in  the  distance,  as  still  as 
that  of  the  dead.  I  heard  my  sigh  echoed  yet  more  heavily 
by  my  companion,  and  my  hand  was  pressed  closely  to  his  side  ; 
but  I  felt  that  it  was  not  the  time  to  attempt  further  spoken 
consolation.  I  let  the  lovely  landscape,  the  bright,  soft  after- 
noon, the  solemn,  soothing  monotone  of  the  river,  do  their  own 
work  upon  his  perturbed  spirit.  At  last  he  raised  his  arm,  and 
pointed  northward.  A  long,  low  line  of  cloud  hung  upon  the 
horizon,  —  dun,  with  brassy  edges,  —  sullen  and  dense,  save 
where  a  rainbow,  vivid  with  emerald,  rose-color,  and  gold, 
spanned  the  murky  vapor  —  a  happy  smile,  cast  by  the  sun's 
last  rays. 

*'  Fair  weather  cometh  out  of  the  north  !  With  the  Lord  is 
terrible  majesty  I  "  repeated  Harry  clearly  —  triumphantly. 
"  After  all,  darling,  He  reigns  !  " 

This  one  thought  I  have  kept  folded  to  my  heart  all  through 


SUNNYBANK.  87 

the  Sabbath.  So  unlike  a  Sabbath  it  seemed,  amidst  mutter- 
ings  of  sedition  and  organized  resistance  to  governmental  pun- 
ishment, with  the  marked  omission,  in  every  pulpit,  of  the 
prayer  for  the  Chief  Magistrate  and  others  in  authority  ;  with 
scanty  congregations  in  the  sanctuary,  and  throngs  of  earnest 
talkers  at  the  street  corners  !  I  have  remembered  it  all  throuo-h 
this  day,  when  the  mutter  has  waxed  into  a  roar  of  revolt  at 
the  proclamation  from  the  President,  calling  out  an  armed  force 
of  seventy-five  thousand  men  to  quell  the  rebellion. 

This  afternoon,  the  only  Union  ensign  displayed  in  the  city 
since  Saturday  —  which  had  streamed  in  solitary  beauty  from  a 
flag-staff  in  the  garden  of  a  wealthy  and  influential  citizen — was 
hauled  down.  For  the  present,  until  the  heat  of  the  popular 
indignation  shall  subside,  the  stars  and  stripes  are  banned! 
The  night  is  cold  and  dark,  as  no  other  night  has  ever  been, 
when  I  think  upon  this  ;  but  I  hope  still.  By  the  order  of  the 
Governor,  the  Secession  flag  has  been  removed  from  the  roof  of 
the  Capitol,  and  in  its  stead  there  streams  the  banner  of  our 
grand,  brave,  old  Mother,  reminding  the  vacillating  and  faint- 
hearted of  her  worthy  deeds  of  yore,  her  consistent  adherence 
to  the  cause  of  Right  and  Freedom,  and,  with  her  sublime  "Sic 
Semper,"  bringing  comfort,  hope  —  to  me,  at  least,  assurance. 
It  cannot  be 


Richmond,  Monday  "Evening,  April  16,  1861. 
Darling  Elinor  :  I  wrote  those  two  words  half  an  hour 
ago,  since  which  time  I  have  sat  gazing  at  them,  like  one 
stupefied,  not  knowing  how  to  go  on  with  what  I  have  to  say. 
I  told  you,  this  morning,  that  I  would,  if  possible,  come  to  you 
this  evening.  Several  circumstances  combine  to  keep  me  away. 
I  am  very  busy.  Work  that  would  require  a  mouth  for  its 
proper  accomplishment,  must  be  done  in  less  than  two  days. 
Yet,  if  I  can  take  time  in  which  to  write,  I  might  as  easily 
spare  it  for  a  personal  interview.  This  I  dai^e  not  do  !  This  is 
the  plain  truth.     I  never  thought  myself  a  coward  until  now. 


88  SUNNYBANK. 

when  I  find  that  I  am  afraid  to  look  into  your  eyes,  and  speak 
what  you  must  nevertheless  learn  from  me  —  me  alone. 

I. love  you,  —  I  do  not  declare  as  man  never  loved  woman 
before,  —  but  as  I  never  loved  anything  else  upon  earth.  I  be- 
lieve that  you  love  me,  and  I  prize  this  belief  as  I  prize  nothing 
beside,  excepting  my  hope  of  heaven.  Yet,  while  this  knowl- 
edge is  fresh  and  new,  —  when  I  have  just  come  to  a  full  appre- 
ciation of  how  sweet  it  is,  and  how  rich  I  am,  I  must  leave 
you  —  leave  without  a  definite  appointment  of  reunion, — 
the  pain  of  parting  softened  only  by  my  faith  in  you  and  trust 
in  the  Good  Father  of  us  both  !  My  precious  love  !  my  almost 
wife  !  this  is  very  bitter  !  No  wonder  that  my  soul  refuses  to 
receive  the  consciousness  as  truth  !  Let  me  explain  my  mean- 
ing briefly  and  simply  as  I  can.  The  convention,  as  you  may 
have  already  heard,  went  into  secret  session  this  afternoon. 
I  have  believed,  since  Saturday,  that  this  would  be  its  next  act ; 
have  known  what  the  object  of  such  action  would  be,  viz.,  to 
shield  from  the  fury  of  the  populace  such  members  as  should 
cast  their  votes  aorainst  the  ordinance  of  Secession.  That  this 
must  now  pass  is  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt.  You  under- 
stand this,  dear?  The  passage  of  the  ordinance  is  a  foregone 
conclusion.  You  said  truly  to  me,  the  other  day,  that  your 
state  must  now  assume  a  decided  position.  She  will  side  with 
her  southern  sisters  —  not  because  they  are  right,  but  because 
they  arc  her  sisters.  This  done,  Richmond  nor  Virginia  is  any 
longer  a  place  for  me.  I  have  no  option  in  the  matter.  My 
sentiments — which  cannot  change  —  with  respect  to  the  political 
heresy  of  disunion  are  too  well  kno^vn  for  me  to  be  over- 
looked w^hen  the  victorious  party  shall  come  into  power.  If 
protest,  if  mart}Tdom,  would  avail  to  check  the  tide  of  e\il,  I 
would  stand  my  ground  and  abide  the  result.  But  the  sacrifice 
of  liberty  and  life  would  be  useless.  Like  most  desperate  dis- 
eases, political  and  physical,  this  will  run  its  course.  Already 
I  have  received  friendly  warnings,  as  well  as  threatening  notices, 
to  the  efiect  that  "men  of  my  stripe"  —  that  is  the  phrase  — 
"  had  better  depart  speedily  from  the  midst  of  the  faithful." 


SUNNTBANK.  89 

I  am  not  a  Virginian  by  birth  or  breeding;  but  you  will 
bear  me  witness  —  you,  to  whom  I  have  laid  bare  my  every 
thought  —  how  fervent  is  the  love  I  have  for  my  adopted  State. 
If  for  no  other  reason,  I  should  prefer  a  residence  within  her 
bounds  to  any  other  location,  because  here  is  your  home.  I 
shall  return  to  New  York,  and  there  begin  my  business  life 
anew.  Pecuniarily,  I  sacrifice  much  by  the  removal,  for  this 
revolution  has  taken  me  by  surprise,  and,  in  a  mercantile  point 
of  view,  at  a  disadvantage.  I  hope  that  I  shall  be  able  to  meet 
all  my  liabilities  promptly,  and  leave  behind  me  an  untarnished 
name,  at  the  same  time  preserving  my  credit  at  the  North  ;  but 
this  will  spare  me  very  little  available  capital  for  future  opera- 
tions. I  tell  you  all  this,  my  love,  as  if  you  were,  in  truth,  my 
wife.  You  deserve  this  frankness  from  me.  It  may  be  a  year 
—  it  miay  be  more  —  I  pray  that  it  may  be  less  —  before  I  can 
offer  you  a  home ;  and  then  it  will  probably  be  very  different 
from  that  I  had  planned  for  my  "  mocking-bird."  But  it  will 
be  ours  —  yours  and  mine  —  and  you  will  come  to  it.  Some- 
thing within  me  assures  me  of  this.  Buoyed  by  this  promise, 
I  shall  work  hard,  very  hard ;  and  if,  at  times,  my  heart  is 
faint  with  longings  for  a  sound  of  your  voice,  for  a  ray  from 
.  your  dear  eyes,  the  angels  of  love  and  hope  vdll  not  let  me  be 
utterly  cast  down. 

I  will  not  wound  you  by  asking  you  to  be  true,  or  by  assur- 
ing you  of  my  continued  constancy.  Such  useless  vows  would 
mock  the  holy  union  of  our  souls.  You  are  mine,  Brownie, 
"until  death  do  us  part."  I  shall  call  early  in  the  morning, 
and  during  the  two  days  that  yet  remain  to  me  here,  I  trust  to 
be  much  with  you.  I  had  not  known  how  I  dreaded  to  make 
this  revelation  to  you,  until  I  felt  that  I  could  not  do  it  by  word  of 
mouth.  Now  that  all  is  said,  I  torment  myself  with  fancies  of 
the  probable  effect  of  the  tidings  upon  you.  That  it  will  shock 
and  sadden  you,  I  know.  Your  sweet  face  will  be  pale  to-morrow, 
and  the  great,  brown  eyes  will  have  a  look  of  patient  suffering 
I  have  never  before  seen  in  them.  I  feel  like  an  inhuman 
wretch  when  I  think  of  this  as  my  work  —  my  doing  —  when, 
8* 


90  SUNNYBANK. 

all  the  while,  I  wonld  jojrfally  bear  your  sliaro  of  the  burden 
with  my  own,  if  I  could ! 

I  wrote  to  your  father,  last  night,  confiding  to  him  my  fears 
and  plans.  He  will  take  care  of  you  for  me.  This  knowledge 
lessens  my  weight  of  sorrow.  Blessed  is  he  who  can  commit 
Lis  choicest  treasure  to  the  keeping  of  such  a  father  !  And  our 
mother  will  be  more  tender  than  ever  to  my  lonely-hearted  girl. 
These  reflections  comfort  me ;  but  dearer  than  all  other  conso- 
lations is  the  thought  of  our  mutual  love  and  truth.  Sustained 
by  this,  we  will  meet  the  parting  bravely ;  will  wait,  with  the 
patience  the  gracious  human  Saviour  will  surely  grant  us,  for 
the  dawn  of  better  days.  Forgive  me  the  pain  I  have  unwill- 
ingly caused  you.  If  I  have  erred  in  selecting  the  mode  of 
making  this  communication  to  you,  attribute  the  fault  to  my 
judgment  —  not  to  my  heart. 

For  my  sake,  try  and  sleep  to-night,  that  your  heavy  eyes 
may  not  reproach  me  too  sorely  to-morrow. 

Your  own 

Haukt. 


SUNNYBANK.  91 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


AGATHA. 


I  HAD  been  out  to  make  a  call  upon  an  acquaintance  last 
Monday  evening,  just  a  week  ago  to-night.  Mr.  Kingston, 
who,  since  our  confidential  confabulation  No.  1,  has  taken  me 
under  his  gracious  patronage,  was  my  escort.  We  returned  to 
Mrs.  Dana's  about  ten  o'clock,  and  being,  by  this  time,  slightly 
ennuyee  of  my  friends'  talk,  which  ran  chiefly  upon  the  perfec- 
tions of  Miss  Elinor  Lacy,  I  said,  as  I  rang  the  bell,  — 

"  I  suppose  that  Elinor  is  invisible  by  this  time.  She  retired 
to  her  room  with  a  headache  before  we  went  out." 

The  ruse  succeeded.  He  bowed  himself  off  without  entering 
the  door,  which  was  opened  by  a  servant. 

"Has  everybody  gone  to  bed?"  I  inquired,  struck  by  the 
stillness  that  reigned  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house. 

"  Mistress  has  !  "  was  the  reply.     "  She  was  very  tired,  she 
told  me  to  say  to  you,  and  hoped  you'd  excuse  her,  and  make 
yourself  at  home.     Mars'  Charles  ain't  come  in  yet.'* 
"And  Miss  Elinor?" 
"  She  is  in  the  library,  I  b'lieve,  ma'am.'* 
"Alone?" 

And  to  my  surprise  the  answer  was,  "Yes,  ma'am  —  least- 
ways, she  was,  awhile  ago,  when  I  took  a  letter  to  her  that  had 
been  left  at  the  door." 

A  letter  and  no  visitor !  This  was  queer,  for  I  knew  she 
expected  her  betrothed  that  evening.  I  dismissed  the  ser- 
vant, and  proceeded  forthwith  to  the  library.  I  knocked  once, 
twice  —  thrice,  without  receiving  an  answer.  I  unclosed  the 
door,  and  advanced  into  the  room.     Elinor's  writing-desk  stood 


92  SUNNYBANK. 

open  upon  the  writing-table.  I  had  seen  her  busy  at  it  when  I 
peeped  into  her  sanctum,  just  before  I  went  out.  She  sat  in 
the  arm-chair  beside  it,  where  I  had  left  her,  apparently  asleep 
now,  an  open  letter  lying  in  her  lap.  A  step  nearer  showed 
me  that  her  unconsciousness  was  not  the  result  of  natural  slum- 
ber. She  lay  against  the  cushioned  back  of  the  chair,  in  a  dead 
faint  —  colorless  and  breathless  as  a  corpse.  Most  women 
would  have  shrieked,  or  dropped  into  a  swoon  themselves  at 
the  sight.  But  I  am  not  made  of  the  same  stufif  as  are  other 
women,  and  my  primal  act  was  to  try  and  discover  what  all  this 
meant.  I  picked  up  the  letter  that  had  fallen  from  her  relaxed 
fingers.  The  hand  was  familiar.  It  was  also  clear,  round, 
compact.  A  very  few  minutes  sufficed  to  put  me  into  posses- 
sion of  the  contents. 

Harry  Wilton  was  going  away,  —  self-exiled,  because  of  his 
political  opinions  ;  going  in  less  than  two  days  ;  going  perhaps 
never  to  return  !  During  the  remainder  of  his  stay  in  Rich- 
mond, he  meant  to  be  much  with  her.  In  a  year,  perhaps  in 
less  time,  he  would  come  for  her  to  take  her  to  his  home ;  for 
she  was  to  be  his  until  death  parted  them.  But  there  was  not 
a  word,  not  a  thought,  of  me  !  His  soul  overflowed  with  ten- 
der compassion  and  love  for  her ;  while  for  me,  whose  heart 
bled  in  hot,  leaping  gushes  at  every  phrase  of  endearment  lav- 
ished upon  his  puny,  babyish  idol,  —  for  me,  who  would  have 
gone  with  him  to  the  world's  end  as  a  bond-slave,  defiant 
of  poverty,  defiant  of  public  reprobation,  defiant  of  shame,  — 
he  had  not  so  much  as  a  commonplace  message  of  remem- 
brance such  as  he  might  have  sent  to  the  acquaintance  of  a 
day! 

I  have  read,  in  old  legends  of  the  Norseland,  of  the  Berserker 
rage,  —  a  blind,  deaf,  unreasoning  frenzy  to  which  their  most 
valiant  heroes  were  subject,  —  a  seizure  always  frightful  to  be- 
hold, often  premonitory  of  bloody  or  scandalous  deeds.  A 
cognate  fury  it  must  have  been  that  possessed  me,  as  I  stood 
above  that  motionless  form  —  wilted  by  the  first  sharp  wind 
of  adversity,  like  any  other  summer   flower,  and   felt  —  not 


SUNNYBANK.  93 

reflected— for  it  scorched  my  brain  —  a  lightning  flash  —  what  a 
barrier  she  was  to  my  happiness,  —  the  blight  she  had  been  to 
my  life.  But  I  did  not  touch  her.  I  left  the  brown  head  lying 
helpless  against  the  cushion,  the  long  lashes  drooping  upon  the 
bloodless  cheek, — just  as  I  had  found  her.  Only,  as  I  went 
out  of  the  room,  the  officious  whisperer,  which  good  people  call 
conscience,  said  humbly,  — 

"Is  it  not  dangerous  to  neglect  her?  What  if  she  should 
never  revive?" 

"  So  much  the  better  !  "  I  said  aloud,  and  dropped  the  curtain 
upon  the  tableau  of  love  in  distress,  a  la  mode. 

Still  pursued  by  the  Furies,  I  walked  out  of  the  house,  with- 
out summoning  a  creature  to  her  assistance,  and  staid  not  for 
thought  or  plan  until  I  had  rung  the  bell  at  the  door  of  Harry 
Wilton's  boarding-house.  Something  then  — I  think  it  was  the 
tame  tinkle  of  a  piano  in  the  parlor,  suggesting  the  proprieties 
of  society,  reminded  me  to  draw  my  veil  over  my  face,  to  adjust 
my  shawl  about  my  shoulders,  and  compose  a  formula  of  inquiry 
to  the  footman  who  answered  the  summons. 

"Is  Mr.  Wilton  in?" 

"  I  believe  so,  ma'am.     Will  you  walk  in?" 

"  Not  there  !  "  I  said,  when  he  would  have  ushered  me  into 
the  common  drawing-room  of  the  establishment.  "  I  am  his 
sister.     I  will  go  directly  up  to  his  room." 

I  smiled  in  stating  the  relationship  I  bore  to  him  whom  I 
came  to  see.  Was  he  not  over-fond  of  calling  me  by  the  title 
I  now  assumed  to  answer  my  own  purposes  ?  The  man  led  the 
way  up  to  the  second  story,  through  a  long  hall,  and  would  have 
knocked  had  I  not  prevented  him  by  a  hasty  gesture.  Another 
wave  of  the  hand  bade  him  go  his  ways,  and  when  he  was  at 
a  convenient  distance,  I  tapped  for  admittance. 

"  Come  in  !  "  answered  the  deep  tones  I  had  expected  to  hear 

I  raised  my  veil  as  I  obeyed.  I  have  a  hazy  recollection 
that  the  apartment  was  of  fair  dimensions,  and  was  fitted  up 
neatly  —  perhaps  handsomely.  Had  it  been  spacious  as  a  royal 
saloon,  and  furnished  with  more  than  regal  splendor,  I  should 


94  SUNNYBANK. 

have  seen  nothing  at  entering  save  the  table,  littered  with 
papers,  and  standing  by  it,  with  the  air  of  one  distnrbed  from 
engrossing  reverie  or  study,  the  figure  of  the  proprietor.  This 
at  the  first  glance.  A  second  showed  me  the  slight  frown  of 
impatience  or  inquiry,  the  look  of  expectancy  exchanged  for 
active  alarm. 

"Agatha!  what  has  happened ?     Is  Elinor " 

Up  to  this  moment  I  can  recall,  with  tolerable  distinctness, 
the  various  steps  of  this  affair  ;  but  here  I  lose  the  connection. 
I  infer  from  this  phenomenon,  that  I  had  until  then  maintained 
some  semblance  of  composure,  and,  in  reality,  remained,  to  a 
certain  extent,  mistress  of  my  words  and  actions.  With  what 
exclamation  I  interrupted  his  inquiry,  and  what  avalanche  of 
protestations  and  reproaches  followed,  I  do  not  remember  with 
sufficient  accuracy  to  write  them  down ;  but  I  have  within  my 
mind  perfect  daguerreotypes  of  the  fluctuations  in  the  counte- 
nance of  the  listener  to  my  nightmare  ravings  ;  the  incredulity 
that  succeeded  wonderment ;  the  grave  rebuke  of  the  gaze  that 
marked  the  passing  of  disbelief  in  the  evidence  of  his  own  hear- 
ing ;  the  cool  contempt  that,  at  last,  like  a  dash  of  cold  water, 
brought  me  back  within  reach  of  my  senses.  There  was  no 
indignation,  no  symptom  of  wounded  feeling.  I  ponder  upon 
this  as  the  cruelest  stroke  of  all.     I  was  not  worth  it ! 

My  pen  cut  through  the  paper  with  that  last  sentence.  This 
is  absurd  in  one  so  tranquil  and  impartial  as  is  the  narrator  of 
this  act  of  the  melo-drama.  If  "  once  upon  a  time"  —  a  cen- 
tury or  so  ago — (it  seems  longer!) — I  was  precipitated  by 
passion  —  by  a  turbulent  emeute  of  my  hereditary  traits  (vide 
Miss  Morris) — by  what  my  Lady  would  reprobate,  as  "ill- 
regulated  affections,"  into  that  preeminent  horror  of  proper 
ladies  —  a  scene;  am  I  not  ready  to  cry,  "  J/ea  culpa!"  with 
the  prescribed  smiting  upon  the  breast,  and  pledge  my  sacred 
word  never  again  to  suffer  myself  to  be  unduly  excited  by  any- 
thing:? 

I  will  write  it  over  and  round  every  letter  with  lingering  pre- 
cision.    I  was  not  worth  it !     He  appeared  suddenly  to  tower 


SUNNYBANK.  95 

into  a  giant  of  moral  rectitude,  —  a  snow  pinnacle,  a  crystal 
shaft,  an  obelisk  of  ice,  or  anything  else  pure,  lofty,  and  freez- 
ius:,  while  I  QTOvelied  in  the  mire  at  his  feet. 

"  I  will  see  you  home  !  "  he  said,  in  chill,  measured  accents. 
"You  are  not  fit  to  be  trusted  to  go  out  alone  —  especially  at 
this  hour  of  the  night." 

He  took  up  his  hat. 

The  revulsion  of  feeling  produced  by  his  manner  and  words 
was  too  much  for  me.  My  brain  was  saved  by  a  burst  of  hys- 
terical tears.  Until  now  he  had  not  offered  me  a  seat ;  but  as 
my  sobs  became  violent,  he  brought  forward  a  chair,  and  bade 
me  sit  down  until  I  should  be  more  composed.  He  remained 
standing  still  at  a  little  distance  from  me.  In  the  height  of  my 
agitation,  I  appreciated  his  tacit  denial  of  my  claim  to  the  char- 
acter of  a  guest.  Humanity  forbade  him  to  turn  me  out  of 
doors,  but  protest  against  my  presence  there  was  written  in 
every  lineament,  spoken  in  every  movement. 

Presently  he  brought  me  a  glass  of  water. 

"  It  will  do  you  good  !  "  he  said,  briefly,  but  more  gently  than 
he  had  before  spoken  ;  and  mastering  my  sobs,  I  dared  look  up 
at  him. 

"You  despise  me!"  I  said,  piteously.  "But  I  am  very 
wretched  —  very  lonely  !  and  to-night  I  am  wild  at  the  thought 
of  your  going  away.  I  have  no  other  friend  in  the  world  ;  and 
you  used  to  seem  to  like  me  !  " 

I  was  interrupted  by  a  tap  at  the  door  behind  me.  "Wilto& 
frowned,  bit  his  lip,  and  then  unlocked  it  cautiously,  just  far 
enough  to  enable  him  to  see  who  was  there. 

"  Excuse  my  intrusion  !  "  said  a  gentleman's  voice,  "  but  my 
sister  is  just  going  home,  and  she  would  like  to  have  the  book 
you  promised  to  lend  her." 

"  I  will  get  it." 

Closing  the  door  in  the  face  of  his  latest  visitor,  Mr.  Wilton 
took  down  a  volume  from  the  book-case,  and  went  out  into  the 
hall  with  it,  shutting  me  in.     The  panels  were  thin,  or  my  ears 


96  SUNNYBANK. 

were  preternaturally  sharpened.  I  heard,  as  distinctly  as  if  she 
had  been  at  my  elbow,  Miss  Morris  say,  — 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Wilton !  I  will  take  great  care  of  it, 
knowing  you  to  be  scrupulously  particular  with  your  books  as 
with  all  other  precious  things  !  " 

I  almost  believed  that  she  would  have  appended  a  sarcastic 
clause  —  "  Your  reputation  included ! " 

For  by  this  time  it  had  begun  to  dawn  upon  my  beclouded 
apprehension  that  I  had  done  a  dangerous  as  well  as  a  silly  thing. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  walking  in  my  sleep  !  "  I  said,  with 
a  foolish  laugh,  when  Mr.  Wilton  returned,  and,  this  time,  locked 
the  door  upon  the  inside. 

"  I  wish  I  could  persuade  myself  that  I  had  been  dreaming 
for  the  past  fifteen  minutes  !  "  he  rejoined,  seriously. 

He  had  resumed  his  stand  upon  the  hearth-rug,  keeping,  as 
before,  at  a  respectful  distance. 

"  I  am  willing,"  he  continued,  "  to  ascribe  much  that  is  repre- 
hensible in  your  feelings  and  conduct  to  the  defects  in  your  early 
education.  I  know  that  your  impulses  are  strong  to  violence, 
and  that  they  are  imperfectly  disciplined.  But,  admitting  these 
extenuating  considerations,  your  behavior  to-night  has  been 
blameworthy  —  inexcusable !  Passing  over  the  insane  out- 
break with  which  you  commenced  this  scene,  —  an  attack  which 
I  scorn  to  try  and  convince  you  that  I  have  never  provoked  at 
any  period  of  our  intercourse,  past  or  present,  your  coming 
to  this  place  alone,  and  at  this  hour,  was  imprudent  in  the  high- 
est degree.  You  have  lowered  yourself  in  my  esteem,  and, 
should  your  visit  be  suspected  by  others,  your  standing  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  would  be  seriously  damaged.  Now  that  you 
are  calmer,  we  had  better  go.  Every  minute  of  your  stay  here 
increases  the  chances  of  detection." 

He  had  often  lectured  me,  in  days  gone  by,  but  never  in  such 
stern,  dry  fashion  as  this.  Angry  as  I  knew  I  ought  to  be  with 
him,  I  could  not  resent  —  I  was  even  disposed  to  admire  this 
new  phase  of  his  character.  Yet  it  was  hard  to  accept  the 
position  in  which  he  held  me  by  his  severity. 


SUNNYBANK.  97 

"  You  judge  me  pitilessly  !  "  I  ventured  to  say,  rising  to  go. 
"  You  contrast  me  with  Elinor " 

"  If  you  please,  we  will  not  introduce  lier  name  in  this  con- 
nection ! " 

He  made  a  slight,  it  seemed  an  irrepressible,  but  most  ex- 
pressive gesture,  in  saying  this.  It  was  as  if  he  would  guard 
something  spotless  and  priceless  from  the  risk  of  pollution  — 
would  snatch  a  pearl  from  beneath  a  profaning  foot.  Nothing 
that  preceded  and  followed  that  tone  and  movement  would  have 
been  more  insulting  to  a  woman  who  retained  a  vestige  of  self- 
respect. 

"  Are  you  ready?"  he  added,  in  a  business-like  style. 

When  we  were  out  of  doors,  he  spoke  again. 

"  You  had  better  take  my  arm.  The  streets  are  full  of  dis- 
orderly characters  in  these  times." 

Another  blow  at  my  improper  conduct  in  having  traversed 
them  alone !  I  had  opportunity  in  which  to  collect  my  scat- 
tered ideas  during  the  walk.  My  escort  might  have  been  a 
galvanized  iron  statue,  for  all  the  effort  he  made  to  entertain 
me.  Looking  back  upon  the  adventure,  as  I  strive  to  do  with 
the  eyes  of  a  third  person,  who,  thoroughly  conversant  with  its 
several  stages  of  attack,  repulse,  and  inglorious  retreat,  has  yet  no 
individual  interest  in  the  affair,  I  ought  to  smile  at  the  grim 
silence  in  which  we  stalked  along  the  pavement  —  silence  un- 
broken except  by  the  echo  of  our  steps  ;  the  answering  ring  of 
an  occasional  passing  footfall,  and  the  flapping  of  the  Secession 
flags  overhead. 

There  was  still  a  light  in  the  hall  when  we  reached  Mrs. 
Dana's  respectable  abode. 

"  I  have  a  pass-key ! "  said  my  companion,  with  no  abate- 
ment of  his  distant  gravity  ;  and  I  understood  that  he  meant  my 
return  to  be  accomplished  secretly,  if  possible. 

What  I  had  to  say  must  be  spoken  before  that  key  touched 
the  lock.  I .  caught  his  hand.  I  believe  that  I  promised  re- 
form—  that  I  professed  repentance  —  of  what  I  have  no  con- 
ception now ;  but  I  could  not  endure  his  anger.  I  am 
9 


98  SUNNYBANK. 

certain  that  I  supplicated  pardon,  for  he  softened  shghtly  at 
that. 

"  I  am  not  angry  with  you,  Agatha,"  he  replied.  "  But  you 
have  grieved  and  disappointed  me  !  I  am  seriously  uneasy  as 
to  your  future,  and  the  future  of  those  with  whom  you  may  be 
associated." 

"  You  will  not  betray  me !  "  I  said,  quickly,  thrown  off  my 
guard  by  the  threat  of  disclosure  I  fancied  was  implied  by  this 
remark.  "  I  should  be  ruined  for  life  were  the  Lacys  to  know 
of  this  mad  freak  !  " 

"  Therefore  you  should  know  me  better  than  to  imagine  me 
capable  of  'betraying'  you!"  he  returned,  freezingly  as  ever. 
"  A  woman  should  live  above  the  risk  of  deOTadin":  revelations. 
If  I  speak  plainly,  it  is  you  who  have  forced  me  to  do  it.  Your 
secret  is  safe.  I  have  still  too  much  regard  for  you  to  injure- 
you,  unless  justice  to  others  should  compel  me  to  tell  a  story  I 
should  be  ashamed  to  repeat.     Good  night !  " 

He  wrested  his  hand  from  me,  not  roughly,  but  impatiently, 
unlocked  the  door,  motioned  me  to  enter,  and  drew  it  to  again 
as  if  he  were  my  jailer.  A  lady  and  gentleman  were  passing 
at  the  moment.  Was  it  my  heated  fancy,  or  did  the  ray  of 
gas-light  flashing  from  the  half-open  door  show  me  the  visage 
of  my  arch-enemy.  Miss  Morris?  I  believe  that  woman  is 
ubiquitous.  I  am  fast  learning  to  look  upon  her  as  the  emis- 
sary of  the  Evil  One  set  for  my  destruction. 

I  crept  up  stairs  very  softly  ;  turned  the  knob  of  the  chamber- 
door  without  creak  or  rattle  ;  glided  in,  and  saw,  kneeling  at  the 
bedside,  a  figure  clad  in  Avhite,  with  long  brown  hair  rippling 
over  her  shoulders.  The  broken-hearted  damsel  had  recovered 
from  her  swoon,  unaided  by  mortal  ministrants,  and  having  very 
sensibly  come  up  to  bed,  had  assumed  another  dramatic  pose  be- 
fore retiring.  Some  people  are  fond  of  indulging  in  this  -sort 
of  private  practice.  The  situation  would,  doubtless,  have  been 
vastly  effective  in  the  sight  of  the  —  to  me  —  relentless  judge 
from  whom  I  had  just  parted  ;  but  it  was  thrown  away  upon  me. 
We  women  understand  the  machinery  of  each  other's  wiles. 


SUNNYBANK.        ^  99 

She  remained  motionless  for  several  minutes  after  my  entrance, 
apparently  so  absorbed  in  holy  meditations  as  not  to  note  my 
presence.  I  went  on  quietly  with  my  preparations  for  my 
nigbtly  repose,  interrupted  but  once  by  a  stray  glimpse  of 
white  set  features  and  a  pair  of  blazing  eyes,  caught  accident- 
ally as  I  passed  the  mirror.  Warned,  by  the  apparition,  of  the 
necessity  for  circumspection,  I  stole  on  tiptoe  into  the  dressing- 
room  to  bathe  my  face.  Then,  loosening  my  hair,  that  it  might 
serve  further  to  hide,  by  its  friendly  screen,  the  traces  of  my 
late  folly,  I  repaired  to  the  bedroom.  Elinor  had  lain  down 
meanwhile.  Stepping  still  like  a  cat,  I  crossed  over  to  the  bed, 
and  stood  beside  her  before  she  knew  that  I  had  come  back. 
Her  eyes  were  closed,  as  I  had  seen  them  in  her  fainting-fit ; 
her  countenance  was  as  much  like  tinted  marble  now  as  then ; 
but  as  I  gazed,  one  large  tear  oozed  from  beneath  the  shut  lids, 
and  rolled  down  upon  the  pillow.  Nothing  hysterical  or  ill- 
regulated  there  I  Then  she  languidly  opened  the  "  great  brown 
eyes,"  as  he  called  them  in  his  letter,  and  stared  at  me. 

I  had  braced  myself  to  witness  a  flood  of  weeping ;  to  be  the 
recipient  of  a  string  of  lamentations ;  and  the  sooner  this  was 
gone  through  with,  the  better.  So  I  put  my  cold  hand  upon  her 
forehead,  which  was  almost  as  chill,  and  smiled  encouragement 
to  whatever  she  had  to  say. 

"  Ah,  Agatha,  dear  !  When  did  you  get  back  ?  Have  you 
had  a  pleasant  evening  ?  " 

"  Delightful ! "  I  returned,  with  saturnine  facetiousness, 
which  she  took  for  dead  earnest. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.     Is  Mr.  Kingston  down  stairs?" 

"  No.  It  was  growing  late,  and  I  was  growing  tired  ;  so  I  did 
not  press  him  to  come  in." 

"What  time  is  it?" 

I  consulted  my  watch.     "  Just  eleven." 

"  Only  eleven  ! "  with  a  little  piteous,  patient  sigh. 

I  interpreted  it  silently  into  the  old,  old  cry,  heaved  by  aching 
human  hearts  in  all  ages,  when  the  night  of  sorrow  is  long  and 
dark,  "  Would  God  it  were  morning  !  " 


100  BUNNYBANK. 

"  Are  you  not  well  ?  "  I  inquired,  with  a  tolerable  counterfeit 
of  tenderness. 

"  Yes,"  —  rousing  herself,  —  "  only,  like  yourself,  rather  tired. 
I  shall  be  better  in  the  morning." 

She  turned  her  face  away,  folding  her  hands  in  the  childish 
way  she  always  has  when  composing  herself  to  sleep. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have  been  lonely  this  evening  !  "  I  ventured 
a  step  further. 

"  O,  no  !  I  have  been  writing !  I  am  rarely  lonely,  you 
know ! " 

She  held  up  her  pale  lips  for  a  good-night  kiss,  and  I  gave  it. 
The  charitable  readers  of  human  nature  who  contend  that  hy- 
pocrisy is  not  innate  with  our  charming  sex  are  not  familiar 
with  such  exhibitions  of  our  characteristic  as  was  afforded  by  the 
trifling  interview  just  described. 

I  did  not  sleep  until  near  daybreak.  By  two  o'clock  Elinor 
was  breathing  easily  and  naturally.  Up  to  that  hour  she  was  as 
broad  awake  as  I.  I  detected  this  by  her  perfect  stillness  of 
body  and  limb  —  her  sometimes  impeded  respiration — more 
surely  still,  by  the  sigh  that  occasionally  struggled  into  life. 
This  was  her  first  grief,  and.  Sybarite  that  she  is,  it  filled  her 
with  dismayed  surprise,  perhaps  because  it  showed  her  that  she 
was  not  to  be  exempt  from  the  common  lot  of  humanity. 

When  I  awoke  from  the  heavy  slumber  that  finally  seized 
upon  me,  she  sat  by  the  window,  with  her  Bible  upon  her  lap, 
giving,  I  shrewdly  suspected,  one  peep  at  its  contents  for  ten 
down  the  street  in  the  direction  from  which  her  knight  was  to 
come.  She  was  dressed  carefully  and  becomingly,  but  her 
utmost  efforts  could  not  hide  the  heaviness  of  eye  he  had  begged 
should  not  reproach  him  at  his  appearance,  nor  restore  the  bloom 
to  the  rounded  cheek.  If  she  thought  that  his  loverly  impa- 
tience would  bring  him  to  her  before  breakfast,  she  was  disap- 
pointed, for  we  had  nearly  finished  that  meal  when  the  message 
came  that  he  was  in  the  library. 

"Why  does  he  not  come  in  here,  as  usual?"  wondered  Mrs. 
Dana.  "  Charley  !  go  and  invite  him  to  take  a  cup  of  coffee 
with  us." 


SUNNTBANK.  101 

"  I  will  go,  Aunt  Daua  !  "  returned  Miss  Elinor,  composedly. 
"  I  have  finished  my  breakfast." 

"  My  dear,  you  have  eaten  nothing ! "  expostulated  the 
hostess. 

Her  brother-in-law  shot  her  a  look  from  behind  his  newspaper 
that  silenced  her. 

He  is  an  autocrat  in  his  odd  way,  which  I  can  never  entirely 
understand.  This  signal,  however,  I  did  comprehend.  It  meant 
that  he  was  in  "Wilton's  confidence. 

An  hour  later,  Elinor  came  to  our  room,  and  told  me,  in  an 
unsteady  voice  and  with  swimming  eyes,  a  piece  of  news  she 
would  not  distress  me  by  communicating  the  night  before, 
"  knowing  how  sincerely  attached  I  was  to  my  old  friend." 
Mr.  Wilton  was  going  North  again  to  live. 

"  I  can  but  like  and  respect  him  the  more  for  his  heroic  adher- 
ence to  his  principles,"  she  said.  "  I  am  sure  that  he  is  doing 
right.     But  we  shall  miss  him  sadly  !  " 

This  was  the  sole  expression  of  regret  articulated  in  the  an- 
ticipation of  parting,  for  many  months,  perhaps  for  all  time, 
from  the  man  with  whom  she  had  but  yesterday  looked  forward 
to  passing  the  rest  of  her  life  !  I  was  aghast  to  her  lukewarm- 
ness,  I  dare  say,  for  I  was  stricken  dumb  for  full  a  minute  and 
a  half. 

At  length  I  said,  "  I  heard  a  rumor  of  this,  last  night,  dear  ; 
but  I  thought  it  best  to  wait  for  confirmation  of  it  before  har- 
assing you  with  the  story.  As  you  say,  we  shall  miss  Harry 
sadly.     But  courage  !  it  will  all  come  right  in  the  end  !  " 

At  that  she  kissed  me,  and  called  me  a  "  blessed  comforter," 
and  departed  for  a  walk  with  "  Aunt  Ellen."  While  they  were 
out,  I  confided  to  Mrs.  Dana  the  fact  that  one  of  my  horrible 
headaches  was  coming  on,  and  craved  permission  to  "  have  it 
out "  in  a  certain  lonely  third-story  room,  which  no  one  visits 
twice  a  week.  The  old  lady  protested  vainly  against  my  pro- 
posed regimen  of  darkness,  solitude,  and  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  as 
uselessly  recommended  her  family  physician,  "  who  had  made 
the  treatment  of  neuralgia  a  speciality."  I  was  in  no  mood  for 
9  * 


102  SUNNYBANK. 

temporizing,  and  I  had  my  way.  I  transported  myself  and 
my  surreptitious  vial  of  morphia  to  the  comfortless  dormitory, 
and  locked  my  door.  When  I  was  well  enough  to  be  down 
stairs  again,  Harry  Wilton  had  gone.  He  intrusted  a  note  for 
me  to  Elinor. 

Dear  Agatha  :  If  I  was  harsh  in  my  dealings  with  you  at 
our  last  meeting,  you  will  forgive  me.  I  confess  that  I  was 
disappointed  and  shocked  at  what  passed  then  ;  but  now  that  it 
is  passed,  let  it  be  forgotten  by  us  both.  Life  is  too  short,  and 
real  friends  are  too  few,  for  us  to  nurse  unkind  remembrances 
of  those  in  whose  fidelity  we  can  have  faith.  There  is  much 
that  is  dear  and  lovely  in  my  reminiscences  of  our  intercourse ; 
much  that  I  shall  ever  cherish  gratefully.  As  to  my  sentiments 
with  regard  to  yourself,  you  cannot  be  at  a  loss.  I  must  ever 
think  of  you  with  sincere  and  affectionate  interest.  May  you 
be  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  Heaven's  best  gifts  —  hope, 
love,  happiness ! 

Faithfully, 

H.  M.  Wilton. 

It  was  a  single  drop  of  water  to  my  parched  tongue,  —  but  it 
was  ice-water  at  the  best,  the  thawing  of  the  snowy  pinnacle 
aforementioned,  —  a  frosty  touch,  that  made  thirst  and  pain  the 
more  intense  a  moment  afterwards. 

Thirst  and  pain  !  I  am  gnawed  by  both,  despite  my  reckless 
affectation  of  gayety ;  an  affectation  I  would  keep  up  to  myself 
as  to  the  world,  in  the  idea  which  sometimes  is  plausible  — 
sometimes  absurd  —  that  practice  may  perfect  me  in  this  as  in 
other  hypocrisies.  Thirst  and  pain  !  and  to  assuage  these  I  feed 
upon  dust  and  ashes,  gnash  my  teeth  upon  stones  in  lieu  of 
bread !  Hate  is  said  to  be  the  half-brother  of  Love.  I  begin 
to  believe  this.  There  are  seasons  when  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  this  ceaseless  dwelling  upon  one  image,  this  perpetual  re- 
newal, to  my  sick  fancy,  of  the  looks,  tones,  and  language  of 
one  person,  and  that  person  one  who  has  wounded  me  as  no 
other  has  ever  done,  insulted  me  as  none  besides  would  dare  do,  — 


SUNNYBANK.  103 

may  be  the  work  of  the  vindictive  half-brother  rather  than  that 
of  his  blind  relative.  Yet  I  discover  that  the  schemes  which 
employ  my  restless  brain  have  all  one  obstacle.  How  to  strike 
at  the  one  I  knowingly  hate,  —  hate  for  her  seductive  arts  ;  hate 
for  her  affluence  of  love  while  I  am  beggared ;  hate  for  her 
wealth  and  popularity  while  I  am  worse  than  poor,  and  by 
many  less  than  liked ;  hate  for  her  happiness,  and,  sometimes, 
because  she  is  so  fond  of  me  ;  hate  as  only  a  woman  can  loathe 
a  successful  rival  she  feels  to  be  her  inferior,  —  how  to  reach 
and  punish  her,  without  touching  him ! 


104  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


ELINOR. 


It  has  often  been  jestingly  said  to  me  that  our  mother  had 
brought  us  up  to  believe  in  the  infallibility  of  our  father  as  reli- 
giously as  Roman  Catholics  do  in  that  of  the  Pope.  With  all 
my  love  and  veneration  for  him,  I  never  knew  Avhat  a  tower  of 
strength  he  was  until  upon  the  morning  of  my  last  and  only  sad 
ride  with  Harry.  I  saw  him  standing  at  the  window  of  Aunt 
Dana's  parlor,  watching  for  our  return.  His  face  told  that  he 
knew  everything.  If  it  had  not,  I  must  yet  have  felt  this  in  the 
embrace  into  which  he  lifted  me  from  the  carriage.  Still  hold- 
ing me  with  one  arm,  he  held  out  the  other  hand  to  Harry. 

"  You  ought  to  go  !  You  can  do  nothing  else,"  he  said,  in  a 
moved  voice. 

Harry's  was  not  more  firm,  as  he  responded,  "  Thank  you 
for  saying  that !     I  thank  you  yet  more  for  coming  for  her  !  " 

They  made  it  as  easy  for  me  as  such  sorrow  could  be  made. 
One  or  the  other  was  with  me  through  all  my  waking  hours  ; 
their  loving  vigilance  noted  every  motion  and  look ;  averted 
from  me  every  possible  annoyance.  I  should  have  been  sinfully 
ungrrateful  had  I  not  tried  to  emulate  this  unselfish  afiection. 
After  the  earliest  shock  had  passed,  —  I  am  thankful  that  no  one 
knows  how  weakly  I  sank  under  it,  —  after  the  numb  agony  was 
over,  my  duty  lay  out  clearly  before  me.  Harry  had  too  much  to 
sufier  already,  and  too  much  to  as^ifice,  for  me  to  add  a  feath- 
er's weight  to  the  load.  Whether  or  not,  in  the  future,  I  was 
ever  to  be  a  helpmeet  to  him,  the  opportunity  was  offered  me 
to  sustain  and  cheer  him  now.  I  prayed  hourly  that  I  might  be 
strengthened  to  put  far  from  me  the  dismay  that  might  enfeeble 


SUNNYBANK.  105 

my  resolution  to  aid  him  ;  the  despondency  that  might  cloud  the 
countenance  I  would  have  him  remember  as  beaming  with  trust- 
ful love  in  this,  the  darkest  hour  of  our  experience.  I  had  to 
struggle,  too,  with  my  impatient  jealousy  of  the  claims  of  neces- 
sary business  and  other  friends  upon  his  time.  I  was  certain 
that  he  would  keep  his  promise  to  devote  to  me  every  minute  he 
could  snatch  from  imperative  engagements  ;  and  when  I  kept 
before  the  the  fact  that  upon  the  fulfilment  of  these  depended 
his  prosperity  and  fair  name,  I  reproached  myself  that  I  was 
rebellious. 

But  the  hours  —  then  the  minutes  —  were  so  few,  so  brief,  so 
precious  !  At  length  the  last  hour  arrived  ;  and  when  my  heart 
seemed  sinking  into  death  with  the  thought,  Papa  proposed  that 
we  —  he  and  I  —  should  accompany  Harry  through  the  first 
stage  of  his  journey,  taking  the  return  train  to  the  city.  It  was 
like  him  !  so  Harry  and  I  said,  when  we  found  ourselves  seated, 
side  by  side,  in  the  northward-bound  car,  at  sunset,  with  the 
hope  of  one  more  and  a  long  heart-talk  before  we  separated. 

"You  are  not  a  refugee  yet,  Mr.  Lacy  —  are  you?"  asked  a 
gentleman,  laughingly,  in  passing  my  father,  who  sat  just  across 
the  aisle  from  us. 

"  Not  exactly,"  he  replied  in  the  same  tone. 

I  glanced  up,  involuntarily,  at  Harry.  He  smiled,  but  the 
muscles  about  his  mouth  stirred  as  with  pain,  hardly  kept  down. 

"Yes,  dear!  that  is  what  they  will  call  me  now  —  what  I 
am!" 

As  Uncle  Charley  parted  from  the  traveller,  he  stooped  to 
whisper  something  in  his  ear,  but  not  so  lowly  that  I  did  not 
hear  it. 

It  was,  "  Look  out  for  me  !  " 

I  had  no  idea  of  what  he  meant,  yet  it  augmented  the  depres- 
sion that  deepened  insidiously  within  my  spirit ;  which  I  sought 
to  relieve  by  giving  my  attention  to  what  was  going  on  around 
me.  I  noticed,  not  without  an  undefined  sensation  of  alarm, 
the  unusual  number  of  strollers  that  lounged  up  and  down  the 
neighboring  sidewalks,  and  loitered  about  the  train,  some  of  the 


106  SUNNYBANK. 

latter  evidently  listening  to  tlie  guarded  undertones  to  which 
the  voices  of  all  —  even  the  rudest  of  the  loungers — were  modu- 
lated. And  with  this  shade  of  uneasiness,  there  grew  upon 'me 
a  strange,  indescribable  sense  of  the  unreality  of  all  that  I  saw 
and  heard.  The  familiar  streets  and  houses  were  seen  as 
through  the  bewildering  vapors  of  a  dream  ;  men  and  women 
glided  by  like  phantoms,  and  there  was  a  shimmer  of  purple 
and  orange  light  in  the  air  —  the  reflection  of  the  glowing  west, 
vasrue  and  dazinor  —  not  dazzlinor. 

o  o  o 

Ross  lingered  until  the  car  was  in  motion. 

"  Good  by,  old  friend ! "  he  said,  wringing  Harry's  hand. 
"  "Write  to  me  soon  !  Think  of  me  affectionately  —  always  — 
if  you  can  !  And  believe  that  nothing  can  change  my  feelings 
toward  you ! " 

He  sprang  from  the  train  without  waiting  for  a  reply. 

"What  did  he  say?  What  did  he  mean?"  I  asked,  per- 
plexedly. 

"  To  assure  me  of  what  I  did  not  need  to  have  confirmed  — 
his  enduring  friendship  !  "  returned  Harry,  composedly.  "  We 
have  a  pleasant  evening  for  our  journey  !  " 

The  dialogue  languished  after  this.  I  was  unaccountably  in- 
disposed to  talk,  and  this  feeling  seemed  to  pervade  the  whole 
company.  The  dreamy  state  fell  upon  me  again.  The  ladies* 
car  Vv^as  very  full,  but  very  quiet.  The  languorous  hues  of  the 
west  swooned  away  into  the  paler  twilight,  and  here  and  there 
a  star  peeped  through  the  gray  sky. 

Just  when  the  blending  of  day  and  the  slowly-faliing  dark- 
ness was  most  confusing  to  the  eye,  the  train  halted  for  an 
instant,  and  several  gentlemen  entered  the  car.  Harry  touched 
my  father's  arm  lightly  as  they  passed  us,  and,  attracted  by  the 
motion,  I  scrutinized  them  as  closely  as  the  imperfect  light 
would  allow.  One  of  them,  I  thought,  I  recognized  as  Mr. 
Carter  —  well-known  to  every  visitor  of  the  Convention  as  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  Union  leaders.  It  seems  remarkable, 
now,  that  the  circumstance  of  his  quitting  the  city  before  the 
adjournment  of  the  Convention,  and  just  at  the  most  critical 


SUNNYBANK.  107 

period  of  their  deliberations,  did  not  stimulate  my  curiosity ; 
but  I  accepted  it  then  as  a  feature  —  and  not  a  startling  one  — 
of  my  dream. 

On  through  the  gathering  gloom  rolled  the  ponderous  train 
—  the  only  moving  thing  abroad  upon  that  enchanted  night ! 
Within  it  there  was  none  of  the  hum  of  social  life.  The  pas- 
sengers were  not  drowsy,  for  every  figure  was  upright ;  and  the 
few  faces,  made  dimly  visible  by  the  faint  glare  of  the  lamps 
sparsely  scattered  along  the  walls,  were  wakeful  —  one  might 
have  imagined,  uneasily  watchful.  Had  it  not  been  that  my  hand 
lay  in  Harry's  warm,  living  clasp,  and  that  the  outlines  of  my 
father's  stately  figure  were  in  my  sight,  I  might  have  believed 
myself  to  be  indeed  dreaming,  or  that  the  motionless  shapes 
and  anxious  countenances  about  me  were  bodiless  spectres. 

By  and  by,  the  spell  was  broken,  rudely  —  to  me  terribly. 
At  one  of  the  principal  stations  along  the  line  a  crowd  had  as- 
sembled, to  await  the  arrival  of  the  train,  which  was  there  to 
take  in  wood  and  water.  It  was  a  tumultuous  gathering,  whose 
chorus  of  queries  and  exclamations  raised  a  Babel  din  in  the 
breezeless  night  air.  The  railway  officials  were  curt,  and  appar- 
ently unsatisfactory  in  their  rejoinders,  and  received  a  variety 
of  uncomplimentary  observations  in  return.  All  at  once  a 
movement  was  made  in  the  direction  of  the  ladies'  car,  in  which 
we  were  seated.  Eager  and  angry  visages,  dusky  in  the  shade 
or  ruddy  by  torch-light,  were  pressed  against  the  closed 
windows,  and  thrust  impudently  through  those  that  happened  to 
be  open. 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  Southern  Confederacy !  "  shouted  a 
stentorian  voice  from  the  platform  of  the  depot. 

And  not  three  only,  but  three  times  three,  yells  of  triumph 
deafened  us. 

"  Three  cheers  for  Jefferson  Davis  —  the  savior  of  southern 
liberties ! " 

Again  a  burst  of  wild  acclamation  that  made  the  windows 
rattle. 

"  Three  groans  for  Carter  !  " 


108  SUNNYBANK. 

I  awake  from  sleep,  often,  in  the  dead  of  night,  with  that  cry- 
sounding  through  my  brain  —  its  emphasis  of  malignant  exulta- 
tion, even  the  broad  provincial  accent  of  the  speaker,  and  the 
drawl  of  the  last  word. 

"  Three  groans  for  C-w-a-a-rter !  " 

It  gave  me  an  impression  of  brute  ferocity  that  stopped  the 
beating  of  my  heart  for  one  awful  moment.  From  the  crowd 
went  up  a  responsive  bellow  —  it  was  not  a  shout  of  execration 
and  derision. 

"  All  aboard  !  " 

The  hoarse  call  and  the  shriek  of  the  engine  were  welcome 
music  to  the  travellers*  ears.  As  a  stream  of  hisses  was 
directed  at  the  moving  line  of  vehicles,  a  window  directly 
behind  us  was  raised  violently  ;  a  man  threw  himself  half  out 
of  it,  and  shaking  his  fist  in  the  faces  of  the  crowd,  poured 
forth  a  volley  of  anathemas,  in  which  the  terms  "  blackguards," 
*'  traitors,"  and  "  cowardly  villains,"  were  the  mildest  employed. 
A  half  minute  sooner  his  temerity  might  have  cost  him  his  life. 
Fortunately,  the  instant  rush  toward  him  was  foiled  in  its  aim 
by  the  quickened  speed  of  the  car ;  but  the  howl  of  rage  and 
chagrin  at  his  escape  was  like  that  of  a  pack  of  hungry  wolves. 

"What  did  you  gain  by  that  demonstration?"  questioned 
Harry,  over  his  shoulder. 

"  I  feel  better  !  "  was  the  rejoinder,  growled  in  a  deep  base  ; 
and  the  irate  Unionist  was  left  to  recover  his  breath  and  temper 
at  his  leisure. 

The  episode  may  appear  ridiculous  in  the  retrospect ;  but  it 
bordered  upon  the  tragic  at  the  time  of  its  occurrence. 

"  Don't  be  frightened  !  "  whispered  Harry,  chafing  my  nerve- 
less fingers  ;  "  I  had  not  expected  this,  or  I  would  not  have  con- 
sented to  your  coming.  You  understand  what  it  all  means  — 
do  you  not  ?  " 

''  I  suppose  that  Virginia  has,  at  last,  apostatized ! "  I  an- 
swered, bitterly.  "  I  ought  to  have  been  prepared  for  it,  but 
1  am  not !  " 

1  could  see  that  he  smiled  at  my  sudden  heat. 


SUNNYBANK.  109 

"  Hush,  love !  such  things  are  not  safe  to  say,  even  here ! 
I  may,  I  do,  love  you  the  more  for  your  patriotism  ;  but  others 
may  feel  differently.  The  ordinance  passed  to-day  in  secret  ses- 
sion ;  but  the  fact  is  more  than  suspected  by  the  populace,  as 
you  have  seen.  To-morrow  the  news  will  be  published  far  and 
■wide.  Brownie  !  "  —  with  an  abrupt  show  of  passion  totally  for- 
eign to  his  ordinary  bearing,  —  "  I  wish  we  could  leave  the  coun- 
try !  go  abroad  and  forget  this  miserable  commotion  !  I  could 
brave  the  storm  for  myself,  but  you  were  not  made  to  support 
trouble  such  as  may  befall  you,  —  if  you  remain  at  the  South  !  " 

How  thankful  I  have  been  since  that  I  did  not  yield  to  the 
temptation  presented  by  this  appeal  to  my  heart !  Union,  in  place 
of  speedy  separation ;  peace  instead  of  the  reign  of  terror  of 
which  I  had  just  beheld  the  inauguration  ;  a  long,  bright  day  of 
love  and  happiness,  a  glance  at  which  made  the  lowering  present 
yet  more  gloomy.  Nor  can  I  tell  what  helped  me  to  stand  firm 
when  my  weak,  selfish  will  seemed  about  to  fail.  I  was  very  full 
of  rebellious,  of  wicked  thoughts  ;  doubts  of  God's  goodness,  and 
mercy,  and  fatherly  love,  in  that  His  children  were  called  to 
pass  through  those  swollen  waters  of  trial.  I  did  try  to  send 
up  one  cry  for  strength  and  light  before  I  spoke. 

"  That  would  be  unworthy  of  us  both,"  I  said,  falteringly, 
I  fear,  but  I  could  say  it  —  and  to  him.  "  I  should  be  a  tram- 
mel, not  a  help,  to  you,  even  were  it  right  to  leave  my  parents 
at  this  juncture.  But  you  have  duties  yet  more  solemn  to  bind 
you  to  your  native  land.  Your  country  has  need  of  all  good 
men  and  true  in  her  extremity  of  peril.  She  cannot  spare 
you!" 

He  was  so  slow  in  answering  that  I  began  to  dread  lest  I  had 
wounded  him.  Then  he  thanked  me  for  my  "  courage  and  hon- 
esty ;  for  the  right  counsel  I  had  given,  when  he  was  almost 
beguiled  from  the  path  of  duty."  I  Avas  glad  that  he  had 
spoken  this,  and  thankful,  as  I  have  said,  that  I  had  held  fast  to 
his  integrity  and  mine,  and  I  was  careful  that  he  should  not 
suspect  how  much  sharper  was  the  pain  of  parting  after  this 
dazzling  temptation  —  but  it  was  sharper  ! 
10 


110  SUNNYBANK. 

If  there  is  no  cloud  the  shadow  of  which  is  not  needed,  the 
need  must  have  been  great  and  urgent  which  called  for  the  dark- 
ness that  enwrapped  my  soul  as  I  stood  upon  the  wharf  that  night 
and  marked  the  approach  of  the  steamboat  that  was  to  take  from 
me  my  best  beloved.  It  was  beyond  my  power  now  to  utter 
words  of  consolation  or  hope  of  our  common  Future.  I  could 
only  endure  dumbly  my  great  woe  ;  only  forbear  to  add  to  his 
grief  by  weak  wailings  over  w^hat  was  beyond  remedy.  There, 
under  the  star-lit  heavens,  the  river  rolling  darkly  by,  each 
dash  reminding  me  how  soon  it  would  divide  us,  he  took  me  in 
his  arms,  prayed  our  Father  to  have  me  in  His  loving  keeping, 
kissed  me  again  and  again,  and  gave  me  back  to  my  father. 

"We  returned  to  town  that  night.  The  evening  of  the  next 
day  saw  us  at  Sunnybank.  Agatha  remained  with  Aunt  Dana 
for  a  fortnight  longer,  by  the  advice  of  her  physician,  and  at 
my  request.  My  home  is  very  beautiful ;  the  dear  ones  within 
it  are  more  than  kind  —  sympathizing  and  tender  to  a  degi'ee 
that  brings  the  tears  with  the  words  of  gratitude  I  would  speak 
in  acknowledgment  of  their  abundant  goodness.  Yet  the  cloud 
has  not  passed.  There  is  a  vast  blank  in  my  life,  an  unceasing 
yearning  in  my  heart.  There  have  been  many  sources  of  dis- 
quietude besides  Harry's  absence.  Every  breeze  is  freighted 
with  the  horrid  noise  of  civil  strife.  "  Sumter  !  "  is  the  battle- 
cry  with  which  a  mighty  army,  at  the  North,  have  suddenly 
started  to  their  feet,  and  rushed  to  the  defence  of  the  National 
Capital.  "  No  coercion  !  "  "  State  sovereignty  !  "  "  Defence  of 
our  homes  and  firesides  !  "  are  watchwords  that  have  banded 
together  the  men  of  the  South  as  by  a  sacred  oath.  Lynn  went 
down  to  Richmond,  last  week,  ostensibly  to  escort  Agatha  home. 
We  expected  them  yesterday,  but  there  came,  instead,  letters 
from  both  my  brothers,  announcing  that  Lynn  had  joined  the 
company  in  which  Ross  is  a  lieutenant.  This  company  was 
mustered  into  "the  service  of  the  State  of  Virginia"  the  day 
preceding  the  passage  of  the  fatal  ordinance,  —  mustered  in 
without  the  knowledge  of,  at  least,  half  the  members  of  the 
corps.     Ross  knew  nothing  of  the  formal  act  until  he  read  in 


SUNNYBANK.  Ill 

the  morning's  paper  an  order  to  the  men  to  appear  at  their  bar- 
racks that  evening,  with  their  knapsacks  packed  and  lettered. 
This  was  the  hidden  significance  of  his  farewell  address  to 
Harry.  He  was  aware  that,  at  that  very  hour,  he  was  regu- 
larly enrolled  as  a  soldier  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  He 
rejects  this  title,  positively.     I  quote  from  his  last  letter :  — 

"  I  am  a  son  of  Virginia.  I  owe  allegiance  to  her  —  since  her 
withdrawal  from  the  Federal  league  — to  her  alone.  I  wear 
her  uniform.  I  will  fight  her  battles  upon  her  soil,  should  an 
invading  foot  cross  her  boundaries,  let  the  invader  be  British, 
French,  or  Yankee.  The  action  of  the  Commonwealth,  as  a 
free  and  sovereign  body,  has  taken  the  responsibility  of  decision 
out  of  my  hands.  A  month  ago,  I  would  have  said,  and  sin- 
cerely, "  May  my  arm  be  palsied  if  ever  I  lift  it  against  the 
old  flag  !  "  But  before  and  above  all  other  claims  came  those 
of  State  and  home.  Do  not  censure  Lynn.  Every  loyal  Vir- 
ginian must  bear  his  part  in  the  approaching  struggle,  and  he 
prefers  to  fight  at  my  side." 

My  mother  is  a  brave  woman  ;  yet  I  thought,  for  a  time,  that 
this  letter  had  been  her  death-blow.  It  was  directed  to  Papa  ; 
but  he  was  with  me  in  the  garden  when  it  was  brought  in,  and, 
ignorant  that  he  was  so  near,  impatient  for  news  of  her  absent 
children,  and  uneasy  at  the  delay  in  their  arrival,  she  opened 
it.  Summoned  by  her  one  wild  scream  of  horror.  Papa  and  I 
ran  to  the  house.  She  met  us  in  the  porch,  pale  as  death, 
clutching  the  letter,  and  sobbing,  hysterically,  "  My  boys  !  my 
boys ! " 

Papa  lifted  her  as  he  would  have  done  a  child,  and  carried 
her  to  her  room,  said  a  soothing  sentence  or  two,  and  obeyed 
the  gesture  that  entreated  him  to  read  the  paper.  He  turned 
from  her  to  do  this  ;  but  I  could  see  his  face  —  saw  the  anxiety 
depicted  upon  it  change  to  displeasure,  deep  and  stern.  Then 
I  guessed  what  had  happened,  although  I  had  not  dreamed  of  it 
before. 

"  I  had  rather  they  were "  he  commenced. 

Mamma  sprang  up  in  time  to  put  her  hand  upon  his  lips. 


112  SUNNYBANK. 

"  Do  not  say  it,  Morton !  They  are  our  children !  God 
only  knows  how  soon  we  may  be  called  upon  to  mourn  because 
they  are  not !     My  boys  !  my  noble,  fond  boys  !  " 

She  was  very  ill  all  night.  It  w^as  late  when  the  doctor  left 
her,  and  Papa  watched  with  me  beside  her  until  morning  —  a 
sad,  sad  vigil.  He  looks  older  to-day  by  ten  years  than  he  did 
yesterday.  Although  he  says  little  of  his  personal  ajffliction  in 
the  event  that  has  wrought  the  change,  I  can  see  that  there  are 
other  emotions  besides  parental  solicitude  at  work ;  that  his 
hopes  for  and  pride  in  his  sons  have  had  a  shock.  He  called 
me  into  his  study,  this  forenoon,  while  Mamma  was  sleeping, 
and  asked  me  to  read  a  letter  he  had  just  finished  in  reply  to 
those  received  yesterday.  I  was  surprised  and  relieved  at  the 
mild  tone  of  it,  — theabsence  of  everything  like  reproach,  —  while 
it  was  full  of  affectionate  regret  at  their  precipitate  action. 

"  I  have  written  as  their  mother  would  have  me  do  —  not  as 
man  to  men  !  "  he  said,  when  I  expressed  this  feeling.  "  For 
myself,  I  say  nothing  except  that  I  am  disappointed.  Having 
conscientiously  and  carefully  formed  my  opinion  of  what  is  law- 
ful and  right,  I  cannot  alter  it  at  the  bidding  of  the  cabal  at 
Montgomery,  or  be  convinced  against  the  dictates  of  reason  and 
conscience  by  tlie  arguments  of  Beauregard's  Paixhan  guns. 
If  Secession  was  treason  a  month  ago,  it  is  treason  still.  Those 
who  wish  to  shirk  the  issue  may  plead  that  their  geographical 
position  determines  their  politics.  My  principles  rest  upon 
other  and  less  variable  data." 

"  But  you  will  not  deal  severely  with  Ross  and  Lynn,  dear 
Papa  !  "  I  begged.  "  They  have  but  followed  the  example  of 
thousands  of  others.  What  can  two  men  do,  in  opposition  to 
the  multitude  that  is  pressing  in  the  contrary  direction  ?  '* 

"  What  martyrs  in  the  cause  of  truth  have  done  in  all  ages  — 
stand  up  valiantly  for  the  right ;  if  need  be,  die  for  it ! "  w^as 
the  response.  "  But,  my  child,  do  you  not  see  that  if  those  who 
thus  unwillingly  swim  with  the  tide,  I  do  not  refer  to  such  as 
have  been,  from  the  beginning,  temporizers  and  trimmers,  but 
to  those  who  professed  and  really  held  Union  sentiments  up  to 


SUNNTBANK.  113 

the  14th  of  April,  —  if  these  had  maintained  their  ground  firmly, 
that  the  opposing  current  would  not  have  been  irresistible  ?  that 
it  might  perhaps  have  been  stayed  until  the  country  regained 
some  symptoms  of  sanity  ?  The  law  of  necessity  is  always  a 
potent  plea  ;  but  one  should  be  very  sure  that  it  has  application 
to  the  case  in  point  before  he  avails  himself  of  it.  There  is  no 
other  behind  which  cowards  and  sophists  are  so  apt  to  skulk." 

He  folded  the  sheet,  put  it  into  an  envelope,  and  wrote  Ross' 
address  upon  the  back,  I  watching  him  with  mingled  reverence 
and  love,  while  my  heart  ached  for  the  affectionate  sons,  the 
heaviest  punishment  of  whose  misdeeds  had,  from  childhood, 
been  their  father's  disapprobation.  Was  our  happy  family  to 
be  rent  into  factions  by  this  sectional  strife  ?  Were  the  days 
of  unspeakable  tribulation  at  hand  when  every  home  should  be 
a  scene  of  war,  and  a  man's  fiercest  foes  be  those  of  his  own 
household? 

Papa  looked  up  at  my  sober  countenance,  and  smiled,  in 
stretching  out  his  hand  to  draw  me  close  to  him. 

"  At  least,  I  am  sure  of  this  loyal  little  ally  —  of  this  clear, 
wise,  not-very-little  brain  !  "  tapping  my  head. 

It  may  appear  vain  in  me  to  set  this  down,  but  praise  from 
judges  like  him  is  dearer  to  me  now  than  of  old ;  I  think  be- 
cause I  belong  to  Harry,  and  value  whatever  commends  me 
to  really  competent  critics,  the  more  that  it  makes  me  worthier 
of  him. 

"  I  am  glad  that  I  can  be  a  comfort  to  you,"  I  said.  "  And 
remember.  Papa,  what  answer  came  to  poor  discouraged  Elijah, 
when  he  fled  for  his  life." 

He  repeated  it,  in  a  dreamy,  mechanical  way  :  — 

"  '  Yet  I  have  left  me  seven  thousand  in  Israel,  all  the  knees 
which  have  not  bowed  unto  Baal,  and  every  mouth  which  hath 
not  kissed  him  ! '  I  shall  descry  the  consolation  in  that,  by  and 
by,  love.  I  am  unusually  dispirited  to-day ;  am  rather  in  the 
mood  to  sympathize  with  the  hunted  prophet,  in  his  weary  moan 
under  the  juniper-tree,  and  afterward,  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
'/have  been  very  jealous'  for  what  I  believed  —  what  I  still 
10* 


114  SUNNYBANK. 

believe  —  to  be  a  righteous  cause.  It  has  been  my  hope  that  I 
might  be  instrumental  in  establishing  it  in  permanence  and 
beauty,  and  the  Lord  has  showed  me  the  vanity  of  my  help. 
He  needs  it  in  nothing.  My  prayer  was,  that  He  would  accept 
this,  my  work;  but  he  knows  best.  His  will,  not  mine,  be 
done ! " 

I  bent  my  head  upon  his ;  kissed  the  still  luxuriant  locks, 
with  their  honorable  interlining  of  silver  —  silent  reminders  to 
me  of  the  treasure  of  wisdom  and  experience  he  had  collected 
during  his  fifty  years  of  life.  But  profound  as  was  my  respect 
for  the  humility  that  put  all  these  out  of  sight,  and  bowed  meek- 
ly to  the  will  of  Him  who  had  decreed  that  his  counsels  should 
come  to  nought,  I  had  no  language  ready  to  convey  this.  His 
last  words  had  taken  me  back  to  the  holy,  happy  Sabbath  suc- 
ceeding %UT  betrothal,  when,  over  little  Morton's  grave,  Harry 
had  talked  with  me  of  kindred  themes. 

"  '  Not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wdlt,'  should  be  no  idle  form 
of  speech,  when  coupled  with  our  petitions,"  he  had  said,  in  the 
simple,  impressive  way  that  gave  a  charm  to  his  most  trivial 
observation. 

Then  —  a  sad,  salt  wave  breaking  upon  the  faint  sparkle  of 
this  —  came  another  memory  of  that  hour. 

*' '  Weep  not  for  the  dead,  neither  bemoan  him  !  *  "  He  had 
.broken  off  the  quotation  there,  with  gentle  consolation  for  the 
loss  of  my  baby-brother.  My  thought  continued  the  mournful 
strain :  — 

"  But  weep  sore  for  him  that  goeth  away.  He  shall  return 
no  more,  nor  see  his  native  country  !  " 


SUNNYBANK.  115 


CHAPTER    X. 


AGATHA. 


October  9,  1862. 

The  first  storm  of  the  autumn,  which  has,  up  to  this  date, 
been  singularly  pleasant.  I  played  the  dutiful  parasite  all  the 
forenoon,  which  seemed  to  me  interminable.  For  Mrs.  Lacy 
and  Elinor  had  their  sewing,  and  I  was  expected  to  sit  by,  also 
decorously  industrious,  while  Mr.  Lacy  read  aloud  to  us  from 
that  agreeable  fiction  —  *'  Motley's  History  of  the  Dutch  Repub- 
lic ; "  a  stained  and  shabby  volume  in  paper  covers,  which  was 
left  here  by  the  literary  lieutenant  in  charge  of  the  reconnoi- 
tring party  of  Federals  who  visited  us  last  week. 

A  new  book  is  an  event  in  our  life  nowadays  —  a  more  un- 
common one  than  such  calls  as  that  I  have  referred  to.  Al- 
though removed  to  what  one  might  suppose  was  a  safe '  distance 
from  the  theatre  of  active  operations,  hardly  a  week  passes  with- 
out the  appearance  of  a  squad  of  blue  or  gray-coated  soldiers  at 
our  gate,  generally  soliciting  hospitality  in  a  style  that  leaves  us 
little  choice  of  a  reply  to  their  request.  These  calls  have  ceased 
to  terrify  —  almost  to  excite  us.  Thus  far,  the  stampede  of 
half  a  dozen  worthless  negroes ;  the  sensible  depletion  of  the 
family  larder,  including  the  prospective  contents  of  the  same,  in 
the  shape  of  pigs  and  fowls  ;  the  loss  of  several  cords  of  fire- 
wood, and  more  than  several  panels  of  fencing,  which  were 
more  convenient  to  the  troopers'  hands  than  growing  timber,  — 
this  has  been  about  the  extent  of  the  detriment  sustained  by 
Milord  from  the  ravages  of  war.  After  all,  the  card  he  has 
played  from  the  commencement  of  this  noisy  and  somewhat 
tedious  game,  has  not  been  a  bad  one  for  himself.     By  some 


116  SUNNYBANK. 

unexplained  method  of  communication,  the  invading  forces,  or 
such  of  them  as  honor  us  with  their  society,  have  generally 
been  made  acquainted  with  the  secret  —  w^hich  is  anything  but  a 
secret  —  in  this  vicinity,  that  he  still  cherishes  a  hankering  after 
the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt ;  that  is,  for  the  defunct  Union  party, 
now  buried  forty  fathoms  deeper  than  were  Pharaoh  and  his 
crew  in  the  Red  Sea,  by  the  redder  current  that  has,  within 
the  past  fifteen  months,  rolled  in  smoking  billows  over  Virgin- 
ian soil. 

Manassas,  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  and  Malvern  Hills  have 
failed  to  convert  the  Unionist  from  his  obsolete  errors  ;  and  this, 
while  his  twin  sons  have  trampled  those  bloody  fields  breast  to 
breast,  their  swords  sent  contributions  to  the  gory  sea.  I  am  no 
partisan  of  either  school ;  but  if  I  were  in  his  place,  I  feel  that  I 
could  not  help  doing  as  my  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens  had 
done,  —  thrown  myself,  heart,  soul,  and  fortune,  into  the  popu- 
lar cause.  Yet,  as  I  have  intimated,  his  policy  has,  thus  far, 
proved  safe  enough.  His  sons  are  widely  and  favorably  known, 
in  their  branch  of  the  service,  as  gallant  and  daring  soldiers. 
Both  have  been  promoted  for  distinguished  bravery  in  action. 
Ross  is  now  captain,  and  Lynn  lieutenant,  in  the  same  com- 
pany. They  have  shielded  their  obstinate  parent  from  the  pun- 
ishment which  the  Confederacy  is  not  backward  in  dealing  out 
to  such  as  set  at  nought  its  authority.  The  tables  are'  turned 
very  efiTectually  and  ludicrously  to  a  mere  looker-on.  The 
traitor  of  two  years  ago  is  esteemed  the  embodiment  of  enlight- 
ened patriotism  to-day,  and  vice  versa.  "What  would  then  have 
been  reckoned  an  unpardonable  transgression  against  a  righteous 
government  is  now  the  height  of  pious  virtue.  Indeed,  it  is  a 
question  in  the  thoughts  of  our  praying,  hoping,  boasting  mem- 
bers of  what  is,  without  figure  of  speech,  the  church  militant, 
whether  one  can  be  saved  who  is  not  ready  to  swear  that  there 
is  no  divinely-appointed  government  except  the  Confederacy, 
and  that  Jefferson  Davis  is  the  Heaven-ordained  President. 

Owing  to  this  somersault  in  popular  opinion.  Milord  Lacy  is 
no  longer  Milord  in  church  or  county,  save  by  courtesy ;  and 


SUNNYBANK.  117 

this  courtesy  is  showed  mainly  on  account  of  his  sons.  They 
may  fairly  be  accounted  the  salt  that  saves  the  family  from 
becoming  an  offence  in  the  nostrils  of  the  community  where 
erst  their  piety  and  good  deeds  were  a  sweet-smelling  savor, 
and  the  manorial  estates  —  the  dust  and  bones  of  mercy  knows 
how  many  generations  of  buried  ancestors,  inclusive  —  from  con- 
fiscation. For  confiscation  —  the  lawful  appropriation  of  the 
goods,  chattels,  and  lands  of  those  who  were  once  high  among 
the  saints,  but  have  become,  without  altering  so  much  as  a 
single  by-law  of  their  creed,  the  chief  of  sinners  —  is  now  the 
order  of  the  day.  With  a  large  majority  of  the  free  and 
enlightened  citizens  of  this  sovereign  Commonwealth,  it  would 
be  sheer  fatuity  to  Avithhold  their  allegiance  from  the  "  powers 
that  be."  St.  Paul  is  mighty  popular  in  these  latter  days.  I 
wonder  how  many  times  I  have  heard  that  text,  "  The  pow- 
ers that  be  are  ordained  of  God,"  descanted  upon,  in  the  pulpit 
and  out  of  it,  during  the  last  two  years  !  We  listened  a  Sab- 
bath or  two  ago  to  a  remarkable  "  improvement"  of  it  from  the 
mouth  of  a  wandering  chaplain  who  officiated  in  the  nearest 
vacant  church,  —  "vacant"  in  ecclesiastic  phraseology,  in 
consequence  of  the  preference  showed  by  the  late  pastor  for 
carnal  weapons  above  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  etc.  He  has 
been  in  the  army  for  six  months  and  more. 

Said  our  chaplain,  "  The  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of 
God.     Of  course  they  are,  my  brethren,  or  they  wouldn't  he  !  " 

But  what  do  I  care  for  all  this  ?  And  to  what  purpose  have 
I  let  my  pen  stray  on  in  derisive  comment  upon  the  fantastic 
tricks  which  the  solemn  mountebank  we  dignify  by  the  title  of 
Man  —  that  anomaly  among  puppets  —  one  that  believes  in  his 
own  acting  —  is  deceived  by  his  own  laborious  imposture — - 
is  daily  performing  in  the  sight  of  angels  and  his  fellow- 
w^orms  ? 

I  am  tired  of  everything !  Tired  of  life  and  the  society 
of  those  with  whom  my  wearisome  lot  is  cast ;  of  this  gi- 
gantic farce,  when  one  considers  the  provocation  and  probable 
results ;  this  frightful  tragedy,  if  one  pauses  to  examine  into 


118  SUNNYBANK. 

the  waste  of  blood  and  treasure  requisite  for  carrying  it  on. 
Tired  of  this  stupid  country  house,  with  the  commonplace 
river,  more  commonplace  fields,  and  most  uninteresting  hills 
that  make  up  the  landscape.  Tired  of  the  moaning  wind  and 
plashing  rain  ;  —  wearied  to  impatient  disgust  by  the  song  that 
arises  to  my  locked  chamb^-door  from  the  great  hall  below, 
where  Miss  Elinor  is  walking,  in  default  of  her  accustomed  out- 
door exercise.  She  takes  jealous  care  of  her  physique.  Is  it 
that  health  may  prolong  her  day  of  youthful  good  looks  ? 

"  When  the  night  wind  bewailctli 

The  Fall  of  the  year, 
And  strips  from  the  forest 

The  leaves  that  arc  sear,  — 
I  wake  on  my  pillow, 

And  list  to  its  roar; 
And  it  saith  to  my  spirit. 

No  more,  nevermore  1  '* 

The  power  and  expression  of  that  girl's  voice  are  positively 
wonderful.  The  prolonged  crescendo  of  that  "  Nevermore  !  " 
fills  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  old  house  with  wild  pathos. 
I  listen  against  my  will — still  I  listen. 

"  But  the  tender  grace  of  a  day  that  is  dead 
Can  never  come  back  to  me  I " 

That  is  what  the  music  means  to  my  spirit,  as  each  wave 
breaks  and  dies  around  me  in  melancholy  sweetness.  There 
is  something  infectious  in  the  weather  and  that  unutterably 
lugubrious  plaint,  which  I  would  give  anything  in  reason  —  or 
out  of  it  —  to  silence.  We  hangers-on  of  great  people  —  court 
j'^iiers  or  useful  machines  as  we  may  chance  to  be  regarded  — 
Cannot  afford  such  expensive  luxuries  as  vapors,  or  I  should 
assuredly  indulge  myself  in  a  spell  on  this,  the  dullest  of  une- 
ventful afternoons. 

Hark !  the  music  has  broken  off*  abruptly,  and  there  is  a 
growing  hubbub  below.  It  is  welcome  —  even  though  it  be  a 
posse  of  Confederate  guards,  with  writs  of  arrest  for  the  entire 
establishment,  or  the  Federals  in  force  ! 


SUNNYBANK.  119 

Midnight. 

Instead  of  which,  the  Fates  have  brought  us  Captain  Rolf 
Kingston  and  Lieutenant  Lynn  Lacy.  C.  S.  A.  Furloughs  are 
not  easily  obtained  now,  but  the  gallant  captain  is  nearly  allied 
to  divers  of  the  mushroom  magnates  who  are  now  the  "  pow- 
ers," and  he  has  exerted  his  influence  to  procure  for  his  friend 
leave  of  absence.  They  are  friends,  intimate  and  firm ;  and 
if  this  end  be  a  desirable  one,  I  am  entitled  to  the  credit  of 
bringing  it  to  pass. 

*'I  was  first  attracted  to  him  by  his  sincere  and  cordial 
appreciation  of  you,"  said  Lynn  to  me  this  evening.  "  His 
attachment  to  you  is  warm  and  disinterested." 

The  last  adjective  was  pronounced  rather  carelessly  —  on 
purpose,  of  course.  It  is  highly  probable  that  their  friendship 
would  be  founded  upon  any  other  than  disinterested  affection 
which  the  gallant  captain  should  profess  for  me  I 

I  did  not  show  unseemly  haste  in  descending  to  the  parlor. 
The  officers  had  had  abundant  time  for  drying  their  clothes  and 
making  themselves  ready  for  feminine  inspection  before  I 
appeared.  It  was  but  just  and  becoming  consideration  for  the 
comfort  and  pleasure  of  the  lieutenant  and  his  relatives  that  I 
should  allow  them  opportunity  for  an  hour's  uninterrupted  con- 
versation, instead  of  intruding  upon  family  confidences.  I  was 
kind  and  true  to  my  ally  in  arranging  for  him  an  inevitable 
tete-d'tete  with  his  fair  one,  since,  while  the  brother  talked  to 
his  parents,  the  sister  must,  in  politeness  bound,  devote  herself 
to  him.  Apparently  my  r2ise  had  worked  well ;  for  upon  my 
entrance  to  the  now  well-lighted  drawing-room,  I  beheld  the 
captain's  fine  figure  bending  toward  Elinor,  at  one  corner  of 
the  mantel,  deferential  and  devoted,  and  utterly  indifferent  to 
everything  and  everybody  else  alive ;  while  Lynn  sat  upon  an 
ottoman  beside  his  mother,  his  elbow  upon  her  lap,  and  his 
chin  resting  in  his  hollowed  palm,  gazing  up  into  her  face,  even 
while  he  replied  to  his  father's  questionings.  Her  hand  toyed 
with  his  fair  hair ;  her  whole  aspect  testified  to  her  pride  in 
and  love  for  her  boy.     Radical  dissimilarity  of  political  belief 


120  SUNNYBANK. 

has  not  yet  changed  or  restrained  the  current  of  natural  affectiou 
in  this  family.  Wounded  to  the  quick,  as  father  and  mother 
must  have  been  by  the  defection  of  their  sons  from  the  creed 
in  which  they  had  been  nurtured,  their  meetings  have  not  been 
marred  by  useless  wranglings.  I  believe  that,  if  the  truth  be 
told,  the  mother  never  held  them  one  half  so  dear  in  the  olden 
days  of  peace  as  in  these  distracted  times,  when  any  hour  may 
bring  her  news  of  the  death  of  one  or  both. 

I  halted,  involuntarily,  upon  the  threshold.  The  scene  was 
so  replete  with  tranquil  enjoyment,  such  a  fair  representment 
of  domestic  concord,  that  my  instinct  warned  me  not  to  inter- 
pose a  disturbing  agency  —  to  take  my  untoward  presence  away 
and  leave  the  quintette  to  their  brief  hour  of  pleasure.  I  did  not 
obey  said  instinct.  I  rarely  do  when  its  dictates  conflict 
with  my  predestined  policy.  I  stepped  into  the  room,  and 
walked  slowly  up  its  length,  with  what  Elinor  styles,  flatter- 
ingly, my  swan-like  motion.  I  am  glad  that  I  do  not  frisk  like 
short  women  of  my  ardent  temperament.  Thus  floating  over 
the  carpet,  I  was  within  three  feet  of  Lynn  before  he  saw  me. 
If  I  had  coveted  a  display  of  my  power  over  him,  I  had  it.  He 
was  upon  his  feet  with  a  spring  that  struck  his  iron  heel  smartly 
against  the  hearth. 

"  Agatha ! " 

The  word  uttered  in  that  tone  Avas  enough  without  the  richer 
mantling  of  the  bronzed  cheek,  the  rapturous  flash  of  the  eye. 
For  myself,  as  I  yielded  my  fingers  to  his  fervent  clasp,  I 
recollected  the  description  which  that  dainty  demoiselle,  Pau- 
line de  Bassompierre,  gives  Lucy  Snowe  of  her  love-letter  to  Dr. 
Bretton :  "A  morsel  of  ice,  flavored  with  ever  so  slight  a  zest 
of  fruit  or  sugar."  For  was  not  his  lady-mother  looking  on 
w'ith  those  far-seeing  orbs  that  invariably  stimulate  me  to  wary 
and  consummate  circumspection?  If  he  Avas  at  once  chilled 
and  fired,  pleased  and  pained,  she  was  the  cause  —  not  I.  I 
took  care  that  my  reception  of  Rolf  should  be  frank,  warm, 
sisterly  —  a  glass  of  generous  w^ine  —  full  of  glow,  perfume, 
and  sparkle,  that  the  exceeding  frostiness  of  the  frozen  con- 


SUNNYBANK.  121 

fection   might  be  more  palpable.      This  accomplished,  I  sat 
down  in  Mrs.  Lacy's  shadow,  as  demurely  as  might  a  duenna 
of  fifty,  to  whom  the  companionship  of  handsome  young  offi- 
cers was  a  prohibited  entertainment.     But  Lynn  did  not  return 
to  his  low  seat  and  his  loll  upon  his  mother's  knee.     He  went 
aronnd  to  the  back  of  his  father's  chair,  rested  one  arm  upon 
it,  and  tried  to  talk  with  him  of  army  and  home  news,  while 
he  looked  at  me.     I  knew  this  the  while  I  never  once,  or  only 
once,  returned  his  beseeching  glances.     That  once  was  when 
supper  was  announced,  and  he  stepped  up  to  my  side  to  offer  his 
arm.     Mrs.  Lacy  was  in  advance  of  us ;  Rolf  Kingston's  tall 
form  hid  me  from  his  partner's  observation,  and  I  ventured  to 
steal  a  timid,  yet  passionate  look  into  his  eyes.     It  was  not 
difficult  to  achieve  this  expression,  for  I  was  really  pleased 
to  see  him.     It  was  a  refreshing  variety  in  my  humdrum  Hfe 
to   feel^  myself  again  the   object  of   absorbing   interest;    and 
while  it  was  not  a  part  of  my  programme  to  fan  the  flame 
openly,  a  secret  drop  of  oil  would  keep  it  from  flickering. 

I  cast  him  one  ray,  fherefore,  like  a  flash  from  a  concealed 
magazine,  then  drooped  my  eyelids  heavily,  as  though  unshed 
tears  weighed  them  down,  and  walked  submissively  beside  him. 
He  hung  back  in  the  hall  to  let  his  sister  and  her  escort  pass 
before  us. 

"  I  return  to  camp  to-morrow,"  he  whispered,  hastily.  "  I 
must  see  you  to-night !     When  and  where  ?  " 

With  a  bewitching  tremor,  I  directed  his  attention,  silently,  to 
his  mother,  now  visible  at  the  upper  end  of  her  bountiful  board, 
and  shook  my  head  in  mournful  negative.  I  saw  and  divined 
the  purport  of  his  impatient,  even  imperious  gesture,  in  pro- 
test, and  began,  forthwith,  to  prepare  myself  for  an  edaircisse- 
ment. 

Not  that  I  dreaded  it.  The  prospect  warmed  my  blood ; 
braced  my  nerves  refreshingly.  A  cleverly-managed  love- 
scene  is  no  bad  diversion  upon  a  rainy  autumn  evening,  partic- 
ularly if  one  has  spent  the  morning  in  yawning  over  a  scrap 
of  needlework,  and  listening,  or  seeming  to  listen,  which  is 
11 


122  SUNNYBANK. 

almost  as  bad,  to  "  Motle/s  History  of  the  Dutch  Republic." 
Elinor  goes  into  ecstasies  over  the  book,  I  may  remark  here, 
but  she  had  always  a  taste  for  the  dry  and  solid  in  literature. 
She  has,  during  the  last  year,  returned  to  her  girlish  habit  of 
studying  several  hours  of  each  day  with  her  father.  I  date 
the  revival  of  the  custom  to  Harry  Wilton's  praise  of  her  pro- 
ficiency in  the  Latin  classics.  I  never  said  that  the  girl  was  a 
dunce,  so  far  as  intellectual  acquirements  go.  I  candidly  admit 
that  her  attainments  in  this  line  are  above  those  of  the  average 
of  well-educated  young  ladies.  She  distances  me  in  Greek, 
Latin,  and  French,  not  to  mention  English  standard  authors ; 
but  I  have  more  worldly  wisdom  in  the  tip  of  my  little  finger 
than  she  has  in  her  entire  corporeal  frame.  In  witness  thereof, 
take  the  fact  just  named  of  her  adherence  to  a  plan  of  severe 
mental  discipline  in  order  to  perfect  herself  in  that  which  she 
imagines  helped  commend  her  to  her  absent  lover.  When,  in 
reality,  if  she  had  not  been  able  to  frame  a  grammatical  sentence, 
or  spell  correctly  a  single  column  in  the  dictionary,  he  would 
have  fancied  her  every  whit  as  well,  s(f  long  as  her  eyes  were 
bright,  her  mouth  a  cleft  rosebud,  and  her  voice  a  dulcet  pipe. 
"  What  fools  these  mortals  be  !  " 

I  have  called  Mrs.  Lacy's  a  bountiful  board ;  but  the  sober 
verity  is,  that  the  viands  displayed  thereupon  are  less  choice 
than  of  yore.  Coffee  is  no  more  an  every  morning  institution, 
nor  has  the  tea  the  aromatic  flavor  that  used  to  greet  the  olfac- 
tories as  it  was  dispensed  from  the  silver  urn.  The  sugar  is 
whity-brown,  and  the  increasing  scarcity  of  the  commodity 
induces  a  corresponding  decrease  in  the  quantity  of  cakes,  pre- 
serves, and  the  like  sweets.  Still,  while  milk  and  butter  are 
plenty,  and  the  poultry-yard  is  free  from  blockaders,  while  the 
garden  and  orchard  are  in  good  yield,  and  the  plantation  returns 
of  wheat  and  corn  are  fair,  there  is  no  danger  of  starvation. 
The  chit-chat  of  the  supper-table  turned  upon  the  meagreness 
of  the  markets  and  the  alarming  advance  of  prices. 

"  Better  days  are  at  hand ! "  pronounced  Rolf,  confidently. 
Fleets  and  armies  may  soon  have  other  work  to  do  than  shut- 


SUNNYBANK.  123 

ting  up  our  ports  and  guarding  our  frontiers.  Warlike  oper- 
ations on  the  part  of  our  foes,  if  they  do  not,  like  charity, 
begin  at  home,  may  end  there." 

"  You  deal  in  mysteries,"  I  observed,  seeing  that  no  one  else 
was  inclined  to  speak,  and  aware  that  the  Captain,  like  most 
other  remarkably  well  self-satisfied  men,  does  not  like  his  orac- 
ular sayings  to  fall  still-born. 

"  Another  month  —  perhaps  another  week  —  will  supply  you 
with  the  key  !  "  he  rejoined,  yet  more  importantly. 

"  The  North  is  then  to  be  invaded?"  said  Mr.  Lacy,  calmly 
interrogative. 

"  I  have  not  said  so  !  "  answered  Rolf,  pleased,  nevertheless, 
that  his  intimation  had  been  understood. 

"  Very  true  !  "  was  the  reply.  "  Brownie,  dear,  will  you  give 
me  another  slice  of  that  bread  ?  " 

She  complied  with  alacrity.  Evidently  it  was  a  relief  to  her 
to  have  a  resting-place  for  her  eyes  and  occupation  for  her 
hands.  Her  cheeks  were  tinged  with  carmine  ;  her  fingers  shook 
violently.  Ascertaining,  by  one  swift  glance  around  the  table,  that 
my  trick  would  escape  detection,  I  contrived  to  catch  Rolf's  eye, 
and  carried  it  with  mine  to  her  agitated  face.  He  is  quick  of 
apprehension,  and  I  was  satisfied  when  I  saw  his  complacent 
visage  cloud  darkly  and  fiercely.  Said  Sydney  Smith  of  Mrs. 
Siddons  in  private  life,  "  There  was  too  much  of  the  high 
tragedy  about  her  !  She  stabbed  the  potatoes  !  "  The  Captain, 
in  his  truculent  anticipations  of  bearding  his  rival  in  his  hall,  — 
alias  counting-room,  —  drove  his  fork  into  the  leg  of  chicken 
upon  his  plate,  as  if  he  were  impaling  his  foe  with  his  trusty 
sword.  I  bent  my  head  to  conceal  a  smile,  and  Lynn  said,  in 
a  dissatisfied  tone,  — 

"  Is  that  the  way  you  keep  State  secrets,  Kingston?  Hadn't 
you  better  divulge  the  date  and  route  of  the  expedition  while 
you  are  about  it  ?  " 

"  He  may  be  like  Harry  Percy's  wife  —  may  never  tell  what 
he  does  not  know,"  interposed  Mrs.  Lacy,  with  her  usual  tact 
at  diverting  a  conversation  from  a  dangerous  channel. 


124  SUNNYBANK. 

But  the  Captain's  mettled  —  or  nettled  —  spirit  was  not  so 
easily  appeased. 

"  Without  boasting  of  my  familiarity  with  State  secrets,  I 
dare  predict  that  in  less  than  a  fortnight  a  victorious  southern 
army  will  have  marched  through  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey 
to  the  gates  of  New  York.  The  plan  has  been  laid  with  a  skill 
that  renders  success  a  certainty.  We  cannot  fail  when  Lee 
directs,  and  Jackson  and  Ewell  execute." 

"It  is  easy  to  fight  battles  and  storm  forts  upon  paper," 
returned  Mr.  Lacy,  still  composedly.  "  If  you  please,  we  will 
return  to  the  parlor." 

"  A  more  rank  traitor  and  submissionist  never  breathed  !  " 
muttered  the  angry  Captain  in  my  ear,  as  we  accidentally  fell 
against  one  another  in  crossing  the  hall.  "  The  Government 
is  too  merciful  to  such  !     If  it  were  not  for  his  daughter " 

He  stopped,  but  looked  unutterable  things.  His  is  a  high, 
and,  I  suspect,  a  vindictive  temper. 

"  A  woman  in  your  situation  would  detect  an  opportunity  of 
making  capital,  for  herself,  out  of  this  heterodoxy,"  I  answered, 
slightly  contemptuous. 

He  stared  inquisitively,  and  I  passed  on,  leaving  him  to 
digest  the  hint  at  his  leisure.  We  had  rather  a  dull  evening, 
after  all  —  or  I  did.  At  nine  o'clock  I  made  an  excuse  to 
leave  the  room,  and  coming  up  to  my  chamber,  drew  out  my 
journal  and  began  to  write.  Now  and  then,  some  sound  from 
without  penetrated  to  my  solitude.  Evidently  the  rest  of  the 
household  were  following  my  example  in  retiring  early.  In 
about  an  hour  there  was  a  tap  at  my  door.  I  unlocked  it,  and 
behold,  to  my  amazement,  the  Lady  Paramount  of  the  domain  ! 
She  had  a  lamp  in  her  hand,  and  I  could  see  that  she  Was  paler 
than  she  is  used  to  be,  but  otherwise  she  appeared  tranquil 
and  dignified. 

"  Agatha  !  "  she  said,  "  Lynn  wishes  to  speak  with  you  in  the 
parlor,  if  you  can  spare  him  an  hour." 

"  Certainly,  Madam,  if  you  and  he  wish  it ! "  I  responded, 


SUNNYBANK.  125 

obediently,  and  stepped  back  into  the  chamber  to  extinguish  my 
lamp. 

She  was  still  in  the  hall  when  I  came  out.  I  did  not  care  to 
look  directly  into  her  face  in  passing,  which  I  did  with  a  slight, 
respectful  bow.  She  stood,  as  if  irresolute,  until  I  was  half 
way  down  the  passage,  then  turned  and  overtook  me,  as  I 
gained  the  head  of  the  staircase.  I  experienced  an  odd  sensa- 
tion when  I  heard  her  in  pursuit,  —  the  creeping,  shivery 
feeling,  from  joint  to  joint  of  the  spine,  that  one  has  in  the 
imagination  that  ghostly  shapes  are  at  his  heels,  as  he  walks 
along  an  echoing  hall  or  staircase  at  dead  of  night.  She 
brought  me  to  a  halt  at  the  brow  of  the  stairs  by  laying  her 
hand  upon  my  shoulder,  I  faced  her  then,  without  a  tremor. 
My  faculties  are  generally  ready  for  their  work  when  a  real 
emergency  arises.  She  searched  my  eyes  with  hers  until,  if  I 
had  been  a  coward,  1  must  have  quailed  ignominiously.  She 
was  strangely  moved.  Her  firm  lips  quivered,  and  the  color 
returned  to  her  cheek. 

"  As  you  deal  truly  with  my  boy,  Agatha,  may  the  Lord 
deal  mercifully  with  you  !  " 

"  Madam !"  I  ejaculated  in  astonishment  that  was  not  all 
feigned. 

It  was  as  if  the  repressed  fire  and  earnestness  of  the  woman's 
strong  nature  had  defied  even  her  self-control  and  dazzled  me  to 
blindness.  She  said  never  a  word  more,  but  left  me  there. 
This  outburst  was  in  bad  taste  in  my  Lady,  and  exhibitions  of 
bad  taste  always  make  one  uncomfortable.  I  actually  debated 
within  myself  whether  it  might  not  be  best  to  retreat  to  my 
sanctum,  and,  from  behind  its  barred  doors,  indite  a  neat  epistle 
to  the  waiting  swain,  politely  declining  the  honor  of  the  offered 
interview.  But  while  I  weighed  the  matter  I  still  went  slowly 
down  the  stairs,  and  as  I  reached  the  last  of  the  flight,  the  par- 
lor door  opened,  and  Lynn  appeared  to  receive  me.  There  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  go  on,  and  in  a  trice  I  was  closeted  for  the 
momentous  scene.  Another  bit  of  wretched  taste  in  my  Lady, 
—  that  is,  if  she  desired  to  beget  in  me  any  maiden  bashfulness, 
11* 


126  SUNNYBANK. 

any  of  the  pretty  coyness  that  a  novice  would  have  felt  in  the 
like  position.  I  am  not  a  novice.  I  don't  believe  that  I  ever 
was.  Certainly,  this  business-like  arrangement  set  me  at  my 
ease.  I  was  never  cooler  than  when  I  declined  the  chair  my 
companion  brought  forward,  and  resting  my  hand  upon  the  cen- 
tre-table —  an  attitude  I  took  care  should  not  be  ungraceful  — 
asked  simply,  "  Did  you  vsdsh  to  speak  to  me,  Lynn  ?  " 

"  I  do,  Agatha  !  "  The  voice,  gentle  and  manly,  had  yet  in 
it  a  quaver  of  emotion.  "  Almost  a  year  ago  I  told  you  of  my 
love  for  you,  and  asked  from  you  a  return.  You  gave  me  several 
reasons  why  you  refused  me  a  definite  answer  then.  You  were 
unprepared  for  the  announcement,  which  therefore  seemed  pre- 
mature. We  were  both  young  —  too  young,  you  thought,  to 
enter  into  an  engagement  so  important  and  binding  as  that  I 
proposed.  The  unsettled  condition  of  public  affairs,  joined  to 
the  distress  which  pervaded  most  families  in  our  State,  my  own 
among  them,  made  the  consideration  of  individual  interests 
appear  unseemly  and  selfish.  But  you  laid  especial  stress  upon 
your  conviction  that  our  union  would  be  strenuously  opposed  by 
my  relatives  and  friends.  I  pass  over  the  arguments  you 
adduced  in  support  of  this  belief.  I  regarded  them  then,  as  I 
do  now,  as  the  offspring  of  a  morbidly  sensitive  imagination. 
But  I  promised  to  wait,  in  silence,  for  one  year.  You  engaged, 
on  your  part,  to  give  me  an  answer  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time.  I  am  here,  to-night,  to  ask  you  to  anticipate  the  date 
appointed  for  your  decision  by  a  month.  As  Kingston  says, 
there  are  indications  of  a  transfer  of  the  seat  of  war  to  the 
Korthern  States.  I  may  be  ordered  off  at  any  moment,  and  I 
may  never  return.  I  would  not  urge  you  ungenerously,  but  — " 
bis  forced  sententiousness  and  unnatural  composure  giving  way 
before  the  flood  of,  passion  —  "Agatha,!  have  loved  you  so 
fondly  and  so  long  !  I  have  had  a  free  talk  with  my  mother, 
told  her  everything,  and  asked  her  sympathy  in  and  sanction  to 
my  suit.  She  will  receive  you  as  her  daughter  —  as  the  best- 
beloved  of  her  son.    The  decision  rests  with  you  —  you  alone  !" 

He  was  beside  me ;  —  he  had  captured  my  hand,  and  my 


SUNNYBANK.  127 

furtive,  upward  look  revealed  his  handsome  face  alive  witli  ani- 
mation, —  his  seeking,  loving  eyes.  He  was  handsome  ;  he  was 
noble  and  sood  —  and  he  loved  me  !  Moreover,  he  believed  in 
me  —  poor  fellow  !     I  had  better  write,  poor  fool ! 

If,  at  that  instant,  I  had  had  offered  me  a  Lethean  draught  that 
should  insure  oblivion  of  the  whole  of  my  checkered  Past,  I 
would  have  drunk  it,  were  it  bitter  as  gall  and  acrid  as  aquafor- 
tis. I  would  have  laid  my  innocent  head  upon  the  breast  of  this 
gallant  and  faithful  gentleman,  and  blushed  my  pure  happiness 
in  receiving  and  returning  his  devotion.  I  had  never  denied  to 
him  that  I  reciprocated  this.  It  was  one  step  in  my  scheming 
that  his  mother  and  friends  should  become  the  chief  obstacles  to 
the  success  of  his  suit.  I  was  assured  that  he  had  derived  suf- 
ficient encouragement  from  my  half-confessions  and  skilful 
equivocations  to  induce  perseverance  in  his  quest.  For  I 
intended,  all  along,  to  marry  him.  Much  deliberation  had 
brought  me  to  the  conclusion  that  I  could  not  do  better.  If  I 
had  been  dubious  on  this  head  when  the  matter  was  first  pro- 
pounded, the  bequest  of  his  far-off  cousin,  but  ardent  admirer, 
last  winter,  by  which  this,  the  second  son  of  the  family  came 
into  possession  of  a  considerable  estate,  would  have  put  an  end 
to  wavering.  Should  his  father  see  fit  to  disinherit  him  on 
account  of  his  marriage  with  an  obscure  and  portionless  girl,  it 
would  not  signify  much  in  our  domestic  affairs. 

I  considered  all  this  after  I  put  away  the  crazy  longing  for 
the  impossible  cup  of  forgetfulness.  It  is  high  time  I  was  pro- 
viding for  myself,  and  leaving  out  the  fact  that  I  have  only  such 
a  liking  for  this  youth  as  his  excellent  qualities  and  personal 
gifts  might  excite  in  the  breast  of  his  grand-aunt,  this  settle- 
ment would  be  a  very  satisfactory  arrangement.  Understand 
me  —  discreet  and  patient  paper  !  —  I  did  not  believe  one  sylla- 
ble of  my  Lady's  cordial  consent  to  my  wedding  her  pet  boy. 
That  she  had  promised  not  to  oppose  it  openly,  and  to  tolerate 
me,  I  did  credit.  This  toleration  would  be  of  a  piece  with  the 
rest  of  her  condescending  patronage.    I  could  picture  to  myself 


128  SUNNYBANK. 

how  she  would  carry  it  on  ;  how  I  would  be  recast  in  the  Lacy 
mould,  —  trimmed  off  here,  filled  out  there,  and  polished  after 
the  similitude  of  a  goodly  stone  in  the  edifice  of  her  family 
pride. 

All  this  time  my  eyes  were  sinking  lower  and  lower,  and  my 
color  mounting ;  but  I  did  not  attempt  to  withdraw  my  hands 
from  their  imprisonment. 

"  What  shall  I  say?"  I  faltered,  finally,  in  well-achieved  con- 
fusion. 

"May  I  tell  you,  darling?"  and  without  waiting  for  an 
answer,  he  caught  me  in  his  arms. 

But  I  don't  like  to  write  about  it !  A  sick  shudder  steals 
over  me  when  I  recollect  that  I  am  surely  betrothed  to  this 
man  ;  that  if  we  both  live  a  year  longer,  I  shall  probably  be  his 
wife  1  I  suppose  this  recoil  from  the  thought  betrays  that  I  am 
not  wholly  depraved ;  that  there  are  still  remnants  of  womanly 
feeling  about  me,  sedulously  as  I  have  striven  to  subdue  instinct 
and  impulse  by  will.  We  sat  together  a  lopg  time  —  or  so  it 
was  to  me  —  upon  the  sofa,  his  arm  about  my  waist,  his  impas- 
sioned breathings  in  my  ear.  It  was  not  easy  to  look  happy 
and  conscious  at  first,  but  I  mastered  the  art  better  after  a 
while.  I  stopped  upon  the  landing  to  throw  him  a  kiss  from 
my  finger-tips,  he  watching  me  from  the  parlor  door.  His 
glowingly  happy  face,  his  proud,  tender  smile,  come  between 
me  and  the  paper  when  I  review  the  scene,  and  what  used  to 
be  a  heart  smites  me. 

"  As  you  deal  truly  with  my  boy,  may  the  Lord  deal  merci- 
fully with  you ! "  said  my  uncomfortable  Mamma-in-law,  that- 
is-to-be.  She  meant  it  as  a  curse  or  a  threat.  I  have  dealt 
truly  with  him  in  one  sense.  I  have  pledged  myself  to  marry 
him,  and  I  intend  to  abide  by  the  contract.  Heigh-ho  !  I  ought 
not  to  be  ennuyee^  but  I  am.  The  rain  and  wind  hold  on,  and 
my  windows  rattle  a  Castanet  accompaniment  to  their  requiem 
over  the  dead  and  gone  summer. 

"  And  It  salth  to  my  spirit, 
Ko  more  I    Never  more  1 " 


SUNNYBANK.  129 

The  wailing  echo  rings  through  the  chambers  of  memory  like 
a  benighted  Banshee's  cry.  Why  should  it  set  me  to  dreaming 
about  my  mother  ?  her  loves ;  her  hopes ;  her  fate  ?  I  could 
believe  that  there  are  sobs  and  moans  of  human  suffering  in  the 
air.  If  the  woe  of  which  the  world  is  full  had  audible  expres- 
sion, the  lament  would  reach  the  very  stars. 

I  will  not  listen !  I  will  not  sentimentalize !  I  will  keep 
steadfastly  before  my  mind's  eye  —  and  let  them  fill  it  —  two 
naked  and  positive  facts,  —  first,  that  my  mother  married  for 
love ;  secondly,  that  her  child  means  to  do  a  wiser  thing. 


130  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

ELINOK. 

October  13. 

There  is  a  vast  deal  of  expression  in  staircases. 

If  any  one  doubts  this,  let  him  try  the  experiment  of  spend- 
ing a  week  in  such  a  house  as  I  once  had  the  misery  of  visit- 
ing —  a  building  that  had  no  upper  floor ;  an  extensive  man- 
sion, and  in  other  respects  pleasant  and  convenient.  I  never 
understood,  until  then,  the  dreariness  of  a  dead  level.  I  envied 
the  very  sparrows  upon  the  house-top,  and  the  swallows  under 
the  eaves.  Since  then,  I  have  held  the  more  tenaciously  to  my 
idea  that  much  of  the  character  and  the  poetry  of  a  house  de- 
pends upon  the  staircase.  And  in  how  few  dwellings  is  this 
unhaunted  to  loving  imaginations  by  shadowy  figures  that  still 
glide  up  and  down,  as  they  were  wont  to  do  in  months  or  years 
agoue?  figures  that  on  lonely  nights  awaken  echoes  the  heart  can 
never  forget,  although,  with  our  fleshly  ears  we  are  to  hear  them 
no  more?  Childish  forms  it  may  be,  with  halting,  uncertain 
feet  and  tiny  fingers  clinging  to  the  balusters,  and  chubby  faces 
peeping  through  the  rails  ;  or  shapes  stately  in  mature  grace, 
with  firm,  resounding  tramp  ;  or  others,  bowed  with  age,  feebly 
climbing,  or  warily  descending,  in  fear  of  that  which  is  high. 
Happy,  happy  abodes  are  those  wherein  the  dwellers  can  sleep 
through  gusty  midnights,  or  awake  in  the  ghostly  gray  of  the 
dawn,  without  dreams  or  memories  of  heavier  and  more  meas- 
ured foot-beats  upon  the  main  stairs ;  the  march  of  those  who 
bear  man  to  his  long  home,  and  the  little  procession  of  mourn- 
ers who  are  henceforward  to  go  desolate  about  the  streets  and 
chambers  which  are  to  know  him  no  more  ! 


SUNNYBANK.  131 

The  Sunnybank  staircase  is  a  picture  in  itself.  It  has  its 
base  in  the  spacious  central  hall,  which,  opening  upon  the  front 
and  back  porches,  and  being  furthermore  lighted  by  four  large 
windows,  forms  one  of  the  most  attractive  sitting-rooms  in  the 
house.  The  steps  are  wide,  low,  and  deep,  and  built  of  solid 
oak.  No  carpet  has  ever  covered  the  boards ;  and  their  pol- 
ished surfaces  are  the  objects  of  the  housemaid's  proud  care. 
The  balustrade  is  likewise  oaken,  and  quaintly  carved.  About 
two  thirds  of  the  way  up,  this  makes  a  leisurely  turn  to  the 
left,  railing  in  a  landing  as  large  as  the  boudoir  of  many  a 
fashionable  belle.  In  the  outer  wall,  at  the  rear  of  this,  is  a 
window,  draped  by  an  evergreen  rose-creeper.  The  window- 
seat  is  broad ;  and  I  find  no  other  study  so  much  to  my  liking 
on  this  warm  October  day  as  this  nook ;  the  glossy  leaves 
and  late  roses  brushing  my  book  whenever  I  turn  over  to 
another  page.  Except  for  the  soft  stir  of  the  foliage  and  an 
occasional  bird-note  from  the  grove,  the  crow  of  a  chicken  or 
the  distant  scream  of  a  peacock,  the  silence  brooding  through 
the  house  is  profound.  Papa  has  gone  to  the  village,  and  taken 
Carrie  with  him  ;  Agatha  has  been  invisible  since  dinner  ;  and 
Mamma  sits  sewing  quietly  in  the  hall  below  me.  Perhaps  she 
does  not  suspect  my  proximity.  It  is  certain  that  she  is  disin- 
clined to  conversation,  or  she  would  call  or  send  for  me.  I 
have  been  watching  her  for  half  an  hour,  and  I  am  sure  that 
I  have  divined  her  thoughts.  Do  they  ever,  by  night  or  day, 
stray  very  far  away  from  the  sons  from  whom  she  is  so  sadly 
separated  ?  High-souled  patriot  she  may  be  in  the  National  in- 
terest, but  while  the  opposing  faction  counts  among  its  defenders 
her  boys,  —  while,  voluntarily  or  perforce,  they  wear  the  uniform 
of  the  Confederacy,  and  their  safety  is  included  in  the  success 
of  the  rebel  arms,  —  mothers',  ay!  and  sisters'  hearts  must 
follow  the  progress  of  that  army  with  anxiety,  that,  if  not 
shaped  into  prayer  for  the  victory  of  the  rebel  host,  yet  cries 
continually  to  the  God  of  battles  to  be  strength  and  shield  to 
the  beloved  ones  in  the  terrible  day  of  warfare. 

"If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  !  "  is  the  voice- 


132  SUNNYBANK. 

less  petition  of  the  tried  soul  of  her  whose  noble  face  grows 
paler  and  graver  wdth  each  passing  month.  We  can  do  nothing 
but  sit  still  and  wait the  lesson  which  —  forget  not,  O  mur- 
muring heart  of  mine  !  —  thousands  of  other  women,  as  sorely 
afflicted,  afe  learning  in  all  quarters  of  this  once  happy,  peace- 
ful land  !  One  might  say  that  the  task  should  be  comparatively 
easy  for  me,  guarded  by  such  love  and  care  as  are  showed  to 
me  in  the  sweet  seclusion  of  this  old  homestead  ;  that  content- 
ment, or  at  least  patience,  should  come  without  much  assiduity 
of  wooing.  But  to  sit  through  long,  hot,  still  days,  and  the 
nights  over  which  a  strange  hush  has  come,  listening  to  the 
echoes  ebbing  and  flowing  —  a  tide  that  may  be  felt  by  my  sensi- 
tive nerves,  although  a  careless  listener  would  never  catch  the 
sigh  of  the  waves  —  through  the  corridors,  and  up  and  down 
this  ancient  staircase,  —  Lynn's  quick,  boyish  footstep ;  Ross* 
agile  leap,  three  stairs  at  a  time,  upon  the  stanch  planks  that 
never  trembled  beneath  his  weight ;  another  tread,  as  light  and 
firm,  yet  more  deliberate  than  either,  —  this  sort  of  waiting 
and  hearkening  engenders  feverish  longings  for  the  once  dear 
reality  —  the  now  unattainable. 

These  and  yet  other  and  older  echoes  the  mistress  of  this 
house  must  hear.  Her  own  shouts  of  childish  mirth,  as  she 
ran  to  and  fro  through  the  home  that  claimed  her  as  sole  heir- 
ess ;  the  gentle  music  of  her  mother's  voice  ;  the  funeral  psalm, 
chanted  brokenly  above  that  mother's  coffin,  set  in  the  centre 
of  the  great  hall ;  the  rustle  of  her  own  bridal  train  sweeping 
the  balustrades  in  her  passage  to  the  parlor  below,  —  may  be, 
oftenest  of  all,  the  irregular  patter  of  tiny  feet,  now  stilled  for 
all  time,  lying  peacefully  under  the  old  willow,  the  waving 
plumes  of  which  I  can  see  through  the  window  whenever  I  lift 
my  head.  It  is  strange  how  constantly  amidst  the  excitement 
and  changes  of  this  era  of  our  lives,  Memory  lends  eager  ears 
to  these  voices  of  the  Past. 

'*  Men  must  work,  and  women  must  weep ; 
And  the  sooner  'tis  over,  the  sooner  to  sleep  !  " 

How  heavily  Mamma  sighed  last  night  when  I  sang  that ! 


SUNNYBANK.  183 

Anxiety  and  suspense  are  beginning  to  tell  upon  her  strength 
and  spirits.  When  the  toil,  and  strife,  and  partings  are  at  last 
over,  shall  we  all  —  the  now  scattered  household  —  workers 
and  weepers  together  —  be  gathered  to  our  fathers  in  the  quiet 
sleeping-place  where  no  alien  dust  has  ever  been  laid  ? 

God  help  us  all !  the  shortest  day  of  labor  and  tears  is  too 
weariful  and  tedious  for  poor  human  endurance,  and  the  dream- 
less sleep  is  long  a-coming  ! 

A  day  later. 
It  is  well  that  I  was  interrupted  just  here,  for  my  musings 
were  becoming  morbidly  selfish.  I  would  grow  strong  —  not 
sad  —  beneath  the  continued  pressure  of  the  burden  which  the 
Wise  Father  has  seen  fit  to  bind  upon  me.  "  Wait  and  hope  !  '* 
I  say  many  times,  daily,  to  my  foreboding  spirit.  How  runs 
the  old  rhyme  ? 

"  Beware  ojf  desperate  steps  :  the  darkest  day, 
Live  till  to-morrow,  will  have  passed  away.'* 

To-day  is  brighter  than  was  yesterday ;  and  the  brightness 
comes  from  the  letter,  a  single  page  long,  lying  before  me 
among  the  leaves  of  my  journal. 

>'  Via  Flag  of  Truce"  says  the  envelope.  Blessings  upon 
the  white-winged  messenger !  To  me  it  is  almost  as  if  an 
angel  had  brought  me  tidings  across  the  dark  river  of  Death 
of  a  beloved  one  gone  before.  For  seven  months  I  had  not 
heard  a  word  from  Harry.  ,  For  seven  long,  long  months,  from 
day  to  day  and  week  to  week,  I  had  looked,  and  wished,  and 
prayed  for  some  visible  token  that  he  still  lived  in  the  same 
world  with  me.  Of  his  love  I  have  never  had  a  doubt.  I 
say  this  now  with  a  sort  of  glad  pride  ;  for  it  shows  how  well 
I  knew  him ;  how  just  was  my  estimate  of  his  constancy.  I 
was  sure,  moreover,  that  he  had  never  remitted  his  efforts  to 
communicate  with  me  ;  that  he  had  written,  not  once,  but  many 
times. 

Of  all  this,  and  much  more,  this  one  brief  page  assures  me. 
The  handwriting  is  compact,  but  clear ;  the  sentences  concise. 
12 


134  SUNNYBANK. 

Not  a  line  of  space  is  wasted ;  and  every  word  tells.  The 
whole  letter  is  so  like  him,  that  I  smiled  through  my  tears  in 
reading  it. 

"  Do  not  send  me  news  budgets,"  he  writes.  "  Tell  me 
mainly  of  your  precious  self.  Keep  a  diary  which  I  may  read 
when  we  meet  —  for  meet  we  shall.  Brownie,  in  God's  own 
good  time.  Do  not  let  me  slip  entirely  out  of  the  Sunnybank 
life  during  this  weary  separation  !  " 

As  if  every  hour  and  every  minute  had  not  its  thought  of 
him,  and  his  name -were  not  a  household  word  as  dear  and  as 
fondly  quoted  as  are  those  of  the  other  absent  sons ! 

But  to  my  diary  !  I  was  interrupted  in  my  writing,  yester- 
day afternoon,  by  a  visit  from  Miss  Hetty  Stratton.  She  is  no 
favorite  of  mine.  Indeed,  to  be  honest,  if  I  have  a  hete  noire^ 
it  is  she.  And  I  had  never  seen  her  so  teasingly  inquisitive 
before.  I  had  never  been  so  annoyed  by  her  affectations  and 
impertinent  insinuations  as  on  this  occasion.  I  was  most  dis- 
pleased by  the  innuendoes  and  questions  addressed  to  Mamma. 
At  last  I  answered  her  more  tartly  than  was  quite  polite,  and 
Mamma  asked  me  to  see  if  supper  were  nearly  ready,  also  to 
have  Miss  Hetty's  room  prepared  for  the  night.  These  errands 
I  used  as  pretexts  for  not  appearing  before  our  guest  again 
until  tea  was  served.  Papa's  presence  at  the  table  acted  as  a 
check  upon  her  prying  queries,  although  the  fact  of  her  volu- 
bility remained  the  same.  I  further  absented  myself  when  we 
left  the  dining-room,  upon  the  plea  of  taking  Carrie  up  to  bed. 
"When  this  was  done,  I  came  slowly  and  reluctantly  down  stairs, 
and  paused  in  the  front  door,  drawn  irresistibly  thither  by  the 
cool  fragrance  and  subdued  loveliness  of  the  summer  night.  It 
was  not  yet  wholly  dark,  although  it  was  nearly  nine  o'clock. 
The  air  gave  up  slowly  and  unwillingly  the  sunshine  that  had 
steeped  it  through  all  the  golden  day.  I  even  imagined  that 
the  nasturtium  beds  and  the  October  roses,  curtaining  the 
roof  of  the  porch,  emitted  a  phosphorescent  glimmer  from  the 
hearts  so  lately  bathed  with  the  fervid  rays.  A  whip-poor-will 
was  singing  in  the  graveyard,  and  closer  at  hand,  a  chorus  of 


SUNNYBANK.  135 

crickets  filled  up  the  pauses  in  his  music.  It  was  an  evening 
one  would  not  voluntarily  pass  within  doors,  if  there  were  no 
candles  in  the  parlor,  and  if  Miss  Hetty  had  not  honored  our 
dwelling  by  her  visitation. 

Thus  tempted,  and  thus  driven,  I  stepped  out  into  the  porch, 
thence  upon  the  gravel-walk,  and  strolled  slowly  farther  and 
farther  from  the  house,  fearing  nothing  for  my  uncovered  head 
from  the  dry,  warm  air,  and  no  unwelcome  intrusion  within 
the  grounds  of  my  own  home.  The  sky  was  full  of  stars,  and 
I  was  not  solitary  in  my  ramble.  I  could  not  but  recall  the 
incidents  of  one  other  starlight  evening,  when  I  paced  these  walks 
for  a  short,  fleet  hour,  and  the  tones  that  then  sang  softly,  — 

"  When  stars  are  in  the  quiet  skies, 
Then  most  I  pine  for  thee ; 
Bend  on  me  then  those  tender  eyes, 
As  stars  look  on  the  sea !  " 

I  remembered  —  was  it  very  vain  ?  —  who  had  said,  *'  Tender 
eyes  !     That  is  just  the  phrase  for  yours.  Brownie  !     Look  up 
at  me  !     I  can  see  the  starlight  in  their  depths  ! " 
I  was  singing,  — 

"  For  thoughts  like  these  too  sacred  are 
For  daylight's  common  beam,"  — 

when  some  one  very  near  me  said,  "  Hist,  Nellie !  don't  be 
frightened ! " 

It  was  hardly  a  surprise,  since,  as  I  have  said,  I  did  not  feel 
alone.  I  did  not  immediately  recognize  the  voice,  nor  could  I 
see  anything  of  the  speaker,  except  the  dim  outline  of  his  head 
and  shoulders  above  the  intervening  garden  fence.  But  his 
tones  were  guarded,  and  I  imitated  his  caution  in  my  reply. 

"  It  is  Nellie  !     Who  are  you  ?  " 

There  was  a  slight  laugh,  and  I  needed  no  other  rejoinder. 

"  Uncle  Charley,"  I  whispered,  seizing  the  hand  he  reached 
over  the  paling.     "How  delighted " 

"  I  shall  be  when  I  am  safely  ensconced  in  your  house  with- 
out having  been  seen  by  other  eyes  than  yours,"  he  interrupted. 


136  SUNNYBANK. 

walking  around  to  the  gate,  and  stepping  upon  the  turf  at  the 
side  of  the  walk,  lest  the  crunching  of  the  gravel  under  his  feet 
should  betray  his  vicinity  to  other  ears.  "  Whom  have  you  in 
the  parlor?  I  saw  a  shape  that  was  neither  your  mothers,  nor 
yet  Agatha's,  pass  the  window,  just  now." 

"  Miss  Hetty  Stratton." 

"  A  walking  Gazette  of  neighborhood  gossip  —  isn't  she?" 

"  Something  very  like  it,  it  must  be  confessed,"  I  admitted. 

"  And  Rolf  Kingston's  aunt?  " 

I  answered  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Humph !  you  must  smuggle  me  in  at  the  back  door,  and 
let  me  lie  in  a  secret  chamber,  or  cram  me  up  a  chimney,  until 
she  is  in  bed.  She  sleeps  at  night  —  doesn't  she?  Some  of 
the  species  are  never  caught  napping.  I  want  to  see  your 
father,  your  mother,  and  yourself,  and  I  must  be  astir  before 
daybreak.  "Will  can  be  trusted  to  look  after  my  horse,  and  to 
hold  his  tongue  —  can't  he  ?  " 

"  He  can,"  I  replied.  "  Stay  here  a  minute  while  I  recon- 
noitre." 

As  I  had  anticipated,  Papa's  study  was  untenanted.  This 
was  the  retreat  I  chose  for  the  unexpected  guest.  But  the 
parlor  door  stood  wide  open,  and  I  must  contrive  some  excuse 
for  closing  it.  I  convoyed  my  charge  to  the  porch,  and  left  him 
standing  there  in  the  shadow,  while  I  walked  boldly  into  the 
parlor  and  shut  the  door  behind  me. 

"  My  dear  child  !  "  exclaimed  Mamma,  "  why  do  you  close 
that?     The  room  is  too  warm  already  !  " 

I  had  foreseen  this,  and  issued  instructions  to  Uncle  Charley 
accordingly.  Stammering  an  apology  and  laughing  at  my 
blunder,  I  fumbled  at  the  bolt  until  I  thought  it  was  safe  to 
reveal  the  outer  hall  once  more,  and  re-opened  the  door. 

"  Mamma,"  I  then  said,  "  can  I  speak  to  you  a  moment 
about  a  point  of  domestic  economy  ?  " 

"  Ah !  our  bonnie  Birdie  will  be  the  housekeeper  of  the 
county,  yet !  "  cried  Miss  Hetty,  airily. 

I  did  not  stay  to  notice  her  compliment,  but  followed  Mamma 


SUNNYBANK.  137 

into  the  hall.  A  few  words  explained  all  that  I  knew  to  her, 
and  while  she  went  up  stairs  to  welcome  her  old  friend,  I  flew 
to  Mammy  Rachel's  house  to  take  her  into  confidence,  and  ask 
her  cooperation  in  preparing  supper  and  a  room  for  the  trav- 
eller. Uncle  Will  sat  with  her  smoking  his  pipe,  and  readily 
undertook  his  share  of  the  work.  But  he  shook  his  white 
head,  portentously,  as  he  took  down  the  stable  lantern  from  a 
nail,  while  Mammy,  less  discreet,  spoke  outright. 

"What's  the  matter,  honey,  that  a  good  man,  like  Mars' 
Charles,  who  trusts  in  the  Lord  and  does  good  to  his  neighbors, 
must  come  a  stealing  here  in  the  night,  like  a  thief  and  a 
robber  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Mammy,"  I  answered,  sadly ;  for  the  ques- 
tion had  tormented  me  from  the  instant  of  his  arrival.  "  These 
are  strange  and  terrible  days !  We  must  be  prudent,  and  do 
what  we  think  is  right,  leaving  the  rest  to  Him  who  is  wiser 
than  we." 

As  I  left  the  house,  I  heard  her  groan,  "  How  long,  O  Lord  ! 
how  long?"  and  Uncle  Will's  voice,  the  more  impressive  by 
reason  of  the  tremulousness  of  age,  in  reply,  — 

"Until  the  cities  be  wasted  without  inhabitant,  and  the 
houses  without  man,  and  the  land  be  utterly  desolate  !  "  ^ 

I  tried  to  put  the  words  from  me.  I  busied  myself  in  col- 
lecting materials  for  a  substantial  repast,  and,  with  my  own 
hands,  carried  these  up  stairs  in  a  covered  basket,  as  being  less 
likely  than  a  waiter  to  attract  the  attention  of  Agatha,  or 
Miss  Hetty,  who  were  still  in  the  parlor.  Uncle  Charley 
was  alone.  ^ 

"I  sent  your  mother  back  to  her  visitor,"  he  explained. 
"  Leave  me  to  Rachel's  care  until  Pauline  Pry  is  off  guard. 
She  must  suspect  nothing.  When  the  coast  is  quite  clear,  we 
will  have  a  comfortable  family  confabulation.  Only,  Nellie  — 
not  a  word  to  Agatha.  Let  her  retire  as  usual.  I  have  my 
reasons  for  the  request "  —  seeing  my  look  of  surprise. 

During  this  speech,  he  had  been  unbuckling  a  wallet  which 
he  took  from  the  breast-pocket  of  his  coat. 
12* 


138  SUNNYBANK. 

"  By  the  way,"  he  went  on  carelessly,  "  have  you  heard  from 
New  York  lately?" 

"  Not  once  in  seven  months  !  " 

I  did  not  mean  to  complain,  but  his  question  was  sudden,  and 
my  answer  sounded  to  myself  like  a  wail. 

"  So  I  feared !  It  is  next  to  impossible  to  get  a  letter 
through.  But  a  flag  of  truce  boat  was  sent  up  the  river,  the 
other  day,  and  this  came,  directed  to  my  care.  Now,  run 
away  and  play  the  hypocrite  to  Miss  Pry !  " 

Panting  and  dizzy  with  excess  of  joy,  I  flew  along  the  pas- 
sage to  my  room,  holding  the  precious  sheet  close  to  my 
heart  —  the  envelope  directed  by  his  hand ;  the  blessed  olive- 
leaf,  borne  to  me  across  the  raging  deluge  !  I  liad  time  to  give 
it  but  one  reading.  It  calmed  me  into  happy  tranquillity.  I 
went  below  with  it  hidden  in  my  bosom,  feeling  as  if  I  were 
walking  upon  air.  Papa  was  reading  aloud  from  a  newspaper 
at  the  centre-table.  The  rest  were  listening.  The  topic  of  in- 
terest was  Lee's  march  into  Pennsylvania,  and  the  probable  — 
according  to  the  journalist  —  the  certain  and  overwhelming 
defeat  of  the  Federals,  in  a  great  pitched  battle. 

"  I  am  thankful  that  my  boys  did  not  accompany  the  expedi- 
tion !  "  said  Mamma,  fervently. 

Miss  Hetty  spoke  up  quickly,  but  even  her  indignation  — 
real  or  simulated  —  at  the  want  of  patriotic  self-devotion  that 
could  see  cause  for  gratitude  in  the  delivery  of  one's  children 
from  the  chances  of  a  bloody  conflict,  failed  to  disturb  my 
peace.  Agatha  looked  bored,  but  civil,  and  presently  put  a  stop 
to  the  harangue  by  asking  me  to  sing. 

"  Something  patriotic  ?  "  suggested  Miss  Hetty. 

*'  Yankee  Doodle,  Hail  Columbia,  or  the  Star-spangled 
Banner?"  I  asked,  mischievously.  "Which  shall  I  begin 
with?" 

She  made  a  feint  of  boxing  my  ears. 

"  Naughty  little  puss  !  You  will  get  yourself  into  trouble 
yet,  with  your  Yankee  proclivities.  If  I  didn't  love  you  so 
much,  I  would  assuredly  report  you  to  the  authorities,  and 


SUNNYBANK.  139 

have  you  arrested.     I  dare  say,  if  the  truth  were  told,  you  are, 
at  this  very  time,  in  secret  correspondence  with  the  enemy." 

It  was  foolish  and  vexatious,  but  my  cheeks  flamed  hotly 
at  the  coarse  thrust,  and  the  letter  seemed  to  pulse  back,  beat 
for  beat,  the  throbbings  of  my  heart.  It  was  not  cowardice. 
Still  less  was  it  thought  of  wrong-doing  ;  but  my  precious  secret 
had  been  touched  roughly,  and  the  manifestation  of  wounded 
delicacy  could  not  be  restrained. 

"  I  can  exculpate  her  from  that  charge,  Miss  Hetty,"  said 
Papa,  quietly.  "  All  her  correspondence  passes  through  my 
hands.     I  will  be  her  security," 

I  covered  my  confusion  by  playing  a  lively  waltz ;  then,  a 
march;  then,  a  medley  of  fashionable  airs,  —  music  which  I 
knew  was  best  adapted  to  Miss  Hetty's  taste.  Then  I  sang 
three  sentimental  songs,  selected  by  her,  and  Mamma  made  a 
movement  toward  breaking  up  the  party.  Hospitality  de- 
manded that  I  should  escort  the  visitor  to  her  room,  —  not  the 
one  originally  designed  for  her.  This,  our  usual  guest-cham- 
ber, opened  from  one  side  upon  the  study,  and  Mammy,  in- 
structed by  me,  had  transferred  Miss  Hetty's  hand-basket,  hat, 
and  mantle,  to  another  apartment,  nearer  Agatha's,  and  in  the 
wing  of  the  house.  Fortunately,  Miss  Hetty  had  not  been  up 
stairs  during  the  evening,  or  the  change  of  plans  would  have 
been  more  difficult  to  effect.  As  it  was,  she  turned  in  the 
direction  of  the  room  she  had  occupied  upon  sundry  former 
visits  to  us,  and  opened  her  light-blue  eyes  in  amazement,  when 
I  said,  "  This  way  —  please  !  "  and  led  her  onward. 

"  I  am  quite  unfamiliar  with  this  portion  of  your  delightful 
mansion,"  she  said,  when  we  reached  her  dormitory.  "  I  am 
afraid  that  I  shall  feel  timid  in  these  strange  although  charm- 
ing quarters  ;  unless,  indeed,  my  sweet  girl,  you  will  make  me 
happy  by  sharing  my  room  with  me.  That  would  be  trans- 
porting !  Indeed,  I  have  counted  confidently  upon  this  season 
of  heart-communion  with  you,  my  dearest !  I  told  Sister  Mary 
that  I  did  not  expect  to  sleep  a  wink  until  late  in  the  small 
hours.     '  For,'  said  I,  '  of  course  the  dear,  frank  child  will 


140  SUNNYBANK. 

have  a  hoard  of  confidence  to  pour  into  my  sympathizing  ears. 
It  has  been  such  an  age  since  we  met !  *  And,  as  I  said  to 
Sister,  and  as  I  say  to  everybody,  upon  all  occasions,  '  If  I 
have  a  favorite  upon  this  earth,  it  is  Elinor  Lacy  ! '  " 

By  this  time  the  enclosure  of  the  long,  thin  arms  about  my 
waist  nearly  stifled  me,  or  I  fancied  that  it  did.  I  undid  them 
hastily  —  ostensibly  that  I  might  remove  the  candle  from  the 
neighborhood  of  the  curtain,  which  swayed  slightly  inward. 

"  I  shall  do  you  a  wiser  kindness  in  leaving  you  to  undis- 
turbed repose,"  I  said,  civilly.  "  If  you  are  nervous,  however, 
about  sleeping  alone,  I  will  send  up  Jane  to  stay  in  the  little 
room  adjoining  this.  By  leaving  the  door  open,  you  can  have 
her  within  call." 

This  proposition  met  with  no  favor. 

"  I  suppose  I  am  as  safe  here  as  I  should  be  nearer  to  your 
father's  room ! "  she  said,  dubiously.  "  I  am  always  saying 
how  much  you  are  to  be  envied  in  having  his  health  and  vigor 
continued  to  him  in  these  troublous  days.  No  one  knows  how 
much  or  how  little  his  or  her  life  is  worth  now,  when  every 
chinquapen  bush  may  hide  a  Yankee  robber." 

*'  Or  a  Confederate  bushwhacker !  "  I  was  so  imprudent  as 
to  say. 

She  came  up  close  to  me,  and  put  her  arm  over  my  shoulder. 

*' I  believe  that  you  are  hopelessly  infected!"  she  said,  in 
a  tragic  whisper.  "  My  precious  lamb  !  do  be  more  cautious 
in  saying  these  dangerous  things  \  Queer  stories  are  afloat 
already  concerning  your  family.  I  contradict  them  whenever 
I  can ;  but,  as  I  tell  my  most  intimate  friends,  in  the  strictest 
privacy,  everywhere,  '  People  are  so  obstinate  in  their  preju- 
dices, and  you  can't  convince  them  that  there  isn't  some  smoke 
where  there  is  so  much  fire  !  '  " 

"  Some  fire  where  there  is  so  much  smoke,  you  mean  —  don't 
you  ?  "  I  interrupted. 

"  Of  course  I  do !  I  respect  your  father.  I  love  your 
mother.  I  perfectly  dote  upon  you.  But  my  advice  —  the 
disinterested  advice  of  a  sincere,  and  tried,  and  faithful  friend, 


SUNNYBANK.  141 

through  good  report  and  evil  report  —  is,  to  take  care  I  That 
is  all !  " 

This  ambiguous  warning  was  made  more  mysterious  by  the 
sepulchral  whisper  in  which  it  was  uttered,  and  the  great  eyes 
and  meaning  nods  that  accompanied  it. 

"  You  are  a  Sibyl,  Miss  Hetty,  '*  I  said,  laughing,  despite 
my  eagerness  to  be  rid  of  her.  "  I  hope  that  your  solicitude 
magnifies  the  perils  that  surround  us.  Good  night !  and  pleas- 
ant dreams  that  shall  have  in  them  neither  Federal  sharp- 
shooter nor  Confederate  guerrilla  !  " 

Uncle  Charley  had  finished  his  supper  and  lighted  his  pipe 
when  I  returned  to  the  study.  Papa  and  Mamma  were  with 
him,  making  up  a  group  which  was  so  pleasantly  familiar  to 
my  eyes  and  thoughts,  that  my  mind  refused  to  credit  the  near 
approach  of  the  separation  that  was  to  divide  these  life-Ion «^ 
friends  for  a  period,  the  very  indefiniteness  of  which  gave  it 
gloom.  It  might  be  for  years,  —  it  might  be  that  they  would 
never  again  look  into  each  other's  faces.  For  by  this  time 
I  had  come  to  understand  —  partly  by  intuition,  partly 
through  one  or  two  hints  dropped  by  Uncle  Charley  himself — 
that  he  was  an  exile.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  his  story  when 
I  entered. 

"  Thus  far  I  have  escaped  even  the  threat  of  imprisonment 
by  a  prudent  silence  upon  political  subjects,"  he  continued,  as 
I  sat  down  upon  a  stool  at  his  side.  "  But  to  be  dumb  now  is 
to  be  disloyal.  The  Government  calls  loudly  for  the  support 
of  every  purse,  every  arm,  and  every  tongue.  And  as  a  gen- 
eral rule,  I  may  remark,  that  those  patriots  who  are  most  spar- 
ing in  the  use  of  the  first  two  are  most  officious  with  the  last. 
For  myself,  my  principles  have  not  changed  from  those  I  ex- 
pressed freely,  and  with  impunity,  two  years  ago.  But  the  rest 
of  the  world  has  turned  over,  and  we  old  fogies,  who  cannot 
keep  up  with  these  abrupt  revolutions,  must  be  pitched  off. 
Sura  and  rule  given  —  result,  self-es;patriation,  or  confiscation 
of  worldly  goods,  and  a  prolonged  view  of  the  inside  of  a  mili- 
tary jail.     I  am  fortunate  in  being  able  to  select  an  alternative. 


142  SUNNYBANK. 

Many  a  better  man  and  citizen  than  I,  has  not  the  power  of 
making  a  choice.  I  made  up  my  mind,  a  year  since,  that 
Dixie  would  soon  be  too  hot  to  hold  an  individual  of  my  luke- 
warm professions  of  attachment  for  the  new  dynasty.  But  I 
have  delayed  my  departure  until  I  should  have  discharged  what 
I  felt  to  be  a  sacred  duty,  namely,  making  over  such  of  my 
means  as  I  could  not  transfer  to  northern  and  foreign  securi- 
ties, to  John's  widow.  She  has  sustained  heavy  losses  lately. 
All  that  I  have  left  behind  is  hers,  or  it  will  be  within  a  week 
or  two.  I  have  committed  a  few  final  arrangements,  which  I 
could  not  stay  to  complete,  to  that  lusus  naturce  —  an  honest  law- 
yer. (Excuse  the  slur  upon  your  profession,  Morton  !)  This 
is  one  reason  why  I  withdraw  from  the  scene  of  action  so 
stealthily.  There  is  an  underground  railroad,  at  a  point  I  wot 
of,  about  fifty  miles  down  the  river ;  and  I  think  that  I  am 
ticketed  through,  having  obtained  —  no  matter  how  —  a  paper 
that  will  enable  me  to  pass  the  Confederate  lines.  I  hope  to 
go  through  unchallenged,  for  a-  rumor  of  my  flight  might  put  the 
Governmental  ferrets  upon  the  scent  after  whatever  unclaimed 
remnants  of  my  property  they  can  lay  their  paws  upon.  Don't 
mention  this  nocturnal  apparition,  even  to  Agatha — at  all 
events,  until  you  hear  from  Jenny,  that  she  is  in  quiet  posses- 
sion of  everything.  By  that  time  I  shall  be  far  away  —  prob- 
ably in  New  York  —  possibly  in  Europe.  I  cannot  say  yet 
where  my  journeyings  will  end.'* 

He  looked  hafrsrard,  while  he  exerted  himself  to  talk  in  his 
accustomed  strain,  and  my  heart  ached  for  him  and  for  our- 
selves. I  thought  of  his  love  for  his  home  and  his  native 
State,  of  his  popularity  in  his  extensive  circle  of  friends,  and 
how  warm  was  his  reciprocation  of  the  affection  that  had  saved 
his  bachelor-life  from  isolation  and  dreariness.  No  light 
cause,  no  whim  or  rash  impulse,  had  wrought  him  up  to  this 
extreme  measure ;  and  in  the  prosecution  of  this,  what  peril 
did  he  incur  ? 

I  asked  the  question  aloud. 


SUNNYBANK.  143 

"  But  nothing  worse  than  failure  to  escape  from  the  State 
can  befall  you,  if  you  are  stopped." 

*'  Desertion  is  prima  facie  evidence  of  defection,  Brownie, 
and  I  am  already  suspected  of  unsoundness  in  the  fashionable 
faith.  One  is  safe,  nowadays,  just  in  proportion  as  he  re- 
sembles that  eminently  worldly-wise  animal  —  the  chameleon. 
My  moral  cuticle  is,  unluckily,  insensitive.  Not  that  I  blame 
the  people,  or  their  rulers.  A  man  in  a  passion  is  always  a 
fool,  and  both  parties  in  this  wretched  National  squabble  have 
lost  their  tempers  and  their  wits.  By  and  by,  the  first  heat 
will  cool  down.  Then  they  will  have  gone  too  far  to  compro- 
mise. With  Macbeth,  they  will  decide  that  '  returning  were 
as  tedious  as  go  o'er,'  and  the  section  which  has  most  money 
and  most  men  will  triumph.  But  I  did  not  come  to  Sunny- 
bank  to  talk  politics.  Nellie,  I  will  take  a  letter  from  you  to 
any  correspondent  you  may  have  over  the  border.  Write 
without  date,  signature,  or  allusion  to  local  affairs.  If  I  get 
through  safely,  I  will  deliver  it  with  my  own  hands.  .  If  not  — 
why,  the  perusal  will  edify  nobody  else." 

Loath  as  I  was  to  lose  a  moment  of  his  society,  I  could  not 
resist  this  temptation.  It  was  easy  to  obey  the  rules  laid  down 
for  my  observance.  It  was  not  easy  to  confine  myself  to  the 
limits  dictated  by  expediency,  and  to  be  satisfied  with  sending 
a  letter  of  moderate  length.  It  was  the  next  best  thing  to  a 
face-to-face  talk,  and  it  did  my  spirit  good,  like  a  draught  of 
life's  most  potent  elixir. 

The  two  in  the  study  were  still  deep  in  conversation,  when 
this  was  finished  and  sealed. 

"  But  this  is  a  selfish  gratification !  "  said  Mamma,  awa- 
kened, by  my  entrance,  to  a  sense  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour. 
"  You  need  sleep,  Charley,  and  we  have  left  you  but  three 
hours  for  rest." 

"  Two  would  be  enough,"  he  answered.  "  Don't  trouble 
yourself  to  get  up  to  see  me  off  in  the  morning.  Nellie  will 
attend  to  that.  It  will  not  hurt  her  young  eyes  to  open  them 
before  the  chickens  begin  to  crow." 


144  SUNNYBANK. 

"  Loss  of  sleep  will  not  dim  mine !  "  said  Mamma,  with  a 
sad  smile.  "But  eyes  and  heart  will  be  the  heavier  for  this 
parting.     We  have  been  friends  for  many  years " 

Her  voice  failed  as  she  laid  her  hand  within  that  of  her 
adopted  brother. 

'•  We  have  !  "  he  returned,  feelingly.  "  Morton  !  dear  old 
fellow  !  we  never  tl:|^ught  in  the  days  when  we  were  young 
together  —  when  I  played  the  match-maker  and  you  two  sup- 
plied the  fuel, —  I  don't  say  the  brimstone,  Ida,  —  we  did  not 
di-eam,  I  say,  that  our  threefold  cord  would  be  untwisted  by 
any  such  diablerie  as  this  war.  This  is  a  part  of  the  never-to- 
be-written  history  of  the  rebellion.  Wasn't  the  world  misera- 
ble, and  human  happiness  unstable  enough  before,  that  men 
must  plot  to  go  into  the  wholesale  manufacture  of  human 
woe?" 

Papa  said  a  few  wt)rds  of  comfort  —  such  seasonable  com- 
fort as  he  best  understands  how  to  offer,  and  we  knelt  together 
in  prayer  for  the  last  time. 

We  were  all  three  up  to  speed  Uncle  Charley's  departtire.  I 
question  if  Mamma  had  slept  at  all.  I  had  only  lain  down 
upon  the  lounge  in  my  room,  and  counted  the  hours,  with  open 
eyes  and  busy  brain.  Uncle  Will,  true  to  his  trust,  brought 
up  the  well-groomed  horse  to  the  side-door  —  that  being  the 
most  distant  from  Miss  Hetty's  windows.  Mammy  had  a  nice, 
warm  supper  ready,  which  she  had  cooked  in  her  own  room. 
The  traveller  was  brief  in  the  discussion  of  this  —  more  brief 
in  his  adieux..  In  the  stillness  of  the  hour  just  preceding  the 
dawn,  we  stood  upon  the  steps,  and  hearkened  to  the  muffled 
beat  of  the  receding  hoofs  until  not  an  echo  came  back  to  us 
from  the  darkness  that  had  swallowed  up  our  friend. 


SUNNYBANK.  145 


CHAPTER  XII. 

AGATHA. 

In  pursuance  of  my  system  of  daughterly  duty,  I  yesterday 
afternoon  shook  off  the  too-delicious  dolcefar  niente  that  had 
inthralled  me  since  our  early  dinner,  laid  aside  Shelley  and 
my  luxurious  dressing-gown,  robed  myself  decently,  and  re- 
paired, work-basket  in  hand,  to  the  summer  sitting-room,  where 
my  prospective  Mamma  sat  at  work. 

I  had  just  seated  myself  near  her,  and  solicited,  with  becom- 
ing respect,  the  privilege  of  aiding  her  in  her  sewing,  when  the 
rattle  of  wheels  was  heard  in  the  avenue,  and  Elinor's  voice 
cried  from  the  landing  at  the  stair-head,  "  lilamma !  there  is 
Miss  Hetty  Stratton  !  " 

Instead  of  coming  down  to  receive  the  unwelcome  visitor, 
the  sentinel  who  had  given  the  alarm  fluttered  off  in  the  direc- 
tion of  her  room,  leaving  us  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  attack. 

Miss  Hetty  Stratton  is  our  neighborhood  gossip  —  a  very 
tall,  very  thin,  very  dressy,  very  spry,  and  not  at  all  pretty 
spinster  of  thirty-five,  or  forty,  or,  for  aught  I  can  affirm  to  the 
contrary,  fifty  years  of  age.  She  is  high-featured,  — -  particu- 
larly as  regards  the  forehead  and  nose  ;  her  hair  is  flaxen  ;  her 
eyebrows  invisible ;  her  skin  is  dotted  closely  with  pale  frec- 
kles ;  her  eyes  are  light-blue,  prominent  and  glassy  as  are  those 
of  a  china  doll ;  and  she  wears  a  set  of  very  white  and  very- 
false  upper  teeth,  which,  being  either  too  long  or  too  loose,  or 
both,  clatter  against  those  of  her  lower  jaw  like  the  dry 
bones  of  a  skeleton  in  the  wind,  whenever  she  waxes  animated. 
She  met  Mrs.  Lacy  in  the  door  with  a  rapturous  kiss  and  an 
13 


146  SUNNYBANK. 

embrace  of  her  sinuous  arms,  the  beholding  of  which  made  my 
flesh  creep. 

"  My  dear  friend  !  it  is  an  age  since  I  have  seen  you  !  How 
d'ye  do,  Agatha?  So  I  said  to  Sister  Mary,  to-day,  'Since 
Mrs.  Lacy  has  positively  taken  the  veil,  and  declines  visiting 
her  nearest  neighbor,  I  will  return  good  for  evil,  and  invite 
myself  to  pass  the  night  with  her,  just  to  keep  up  her  spirits 
and  the  girls'.'  " 

"  You  were  very  considerate  of  our  comfort,  and  we  ought 
to  be  exceedingly  obliged  to  you,"  replied  my  Lady,  cour- 
teously and  falsely. 

Not  falsehood  as  to  the  letter,  but  a  lie  as  to  the  spirit,  never- 
theless. She  would  have  led  the  way  into  the  drawing-room, 
but  the  sprightly  Hetty  resisted. 

"Now  that  I  am  here,  I  will  not  be  made  company  of!  How 
cool  and  lovely  it  is  in  this  hall !  I  was  telling  Charlotte,  one 
day  last  week,  —  that  awfully  hot  day,  you  remember, — that  if 
there  was  but  one  cool  spot  in  the  world,  it  was  the  great  hall 
at  Sunnybank.     I  will  just  throw  off  my  hat  and  duster." 

She  tossed  aside,  with  girlish  ahandon^  a  juvenile  gypsy 
*'  flat,"  trimmed  with  buff  ribbon,  and  a  flimsy  black  silk  mantle, 
and  then  tossed  herself  upon  the  antique  settee  that  stands  in 
the  hall.  She  was  attired  in  a  gi'ass-green  tissue,  profusely 
flounced,  and  with  the  lining  cut  absurdly  low  in  the  neck,  her 
meagre  shoulders  showing  sharply  through  the  gauzy  veil. 

"  If  there  is  home-comfort  to  be  enjoyed  in  the  universe,  it 
is  assuredly  in  this  house  !  "  she  twaddled  on.  "  Everywhere 
else,  a  gloom  seems  to  oppress  the  spirits  of  the  people.  One 
hears  of  nothing  but  anxieties  about  the  poor  dear  soldiers,  and 
complaints  of  the  sufferings  of  those  left  at  home.  But  here, 
all  is  unchanged.  Do  tell  me,  my  dearest  Mrs.  Lacy,  when 
you  last  heard  from  those  darling,  gallant  boys  of  yours." 

"  Last  week." 

"  And  like  all  other  mothers  in  this  region,  you  are  hoping 
to  receive  letters  from  them,  shortly,  dated  from  Philadelphia 
or  New  York,  I  suppose," 


SUNNYBANK.  147 

"  At  the  latest  advices  from  them,  their  regiment  had  not 
changed  its  quarters,"  replied  my  Lady,  imperturbably. 

"  Inde-e-ed  I  I  beg  your  pardon  !  I  am  so  shockingly  forget- 
ful !  I  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to  ask  such  questions 
of  you.  But  it  seems  so  natural  to  take  it  for  granted  that  all 
southern  mothers  —  the  Cornelias  of  this  century,  as  Colonel 
Ramsay  calls  them  —  feel  alike  on  this  subject.  Brownie  !  my 
bird  of  beauty  !  welcome  !  '* 

Me  she  had  not  honored  with  an  embrace  ;  but  the  lean  arms 
inwrapped  her  "  bird  of  beauty  "  in  their  snaky  folds,  and  the 
kissing  ceremony  was  repeated.  Elinor  has  a  perfect  antipathy 
to  the  creature ;  and  I  noted,  with  malicious  glee,  that  her 
brown  cheek  was  flushed  with  disgust,  and  her  lips  compressed 
to  hinder  the  verbal  expression  of  this,  as  she  extricated  her- 
self from  the  feminine  anaconda.  She  retreated  to  the  shelter 
of  her  mother's  wing,  and  sought  busily,  but  vainly,  in  the 
maternal  work-basket  for  a  bit  of  needlework  that  migcht  eno-a^-e 
her  eyes  until  it  was  safe  to  raise  them.  Foiled  in  the  quest, 
she  betook  herself  to  the  occupation  of  arranging  spools,  scis- 
sors, and  the  countless  et-cetera  of  woman's  labor  within  the 
wicker  case. 

Miss  Hetty's  pet  vanity  —  one  of  many  —  is  her  long,  lean 
bands  ;  and  to  display  them  she  clutches  and  crawls  over  every- 
thing near  her,  with  her  spidery  fingers.  Her  next  action, 
having  released  Elinor,  was  to  lay  hold  of  a  corner  of  Mrs. 
Lacy's  v/ork  ;  seizing  it  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  leaving 
the  second,  third,  and  fourth  fingers  raised  at  a  graceful  angle 
in  the  air.  A  capital  manoeuvre,  if  w^ell  executed,  for  show- 
ing a  handsome  ring  and  the  curve  of  the  w^ist.  She  was  tol- 
erably well  "  up  "  in  it,  having  practised  it  diligently  for  thirty 
or  forty  years. 

"  What  fresh  work  of  charity  engages  your  attention  now, 
my  dear  lady?" 

"  This  is  a  dress  for  one  of  Mrs.  Young's  children,"  was  the 
answer.  "You  may  not  have  heard  that  she  is  sick,  and  unable 
to  do  much  for  her  family." 


148  SUNNYBANK. 

"  And  her  husband  is  in  the  army !  Poor  woman !  She 
does  her  best  to  serve  her  country !  I  trust  Providence  will 
make  it  up  to  her  in  a  way  she  doesn't  expect !  But  — " 
briskly  —  "  why  not  leave  her  to  the  care  of  those  who  have  a 
kindred  feeling  for  her  in  her  destitution?  in  whose  hearts  her 
needs  would  kindle  a  responsive  chord?" 

Miss  Hetty's  style  is  usually  more  "  highfaluting "  than  per- 
spicuous. 

"  I  hope  that  real  distress  —  unmerited  poverty,  will  never 
appeal  to  me  in  vain,"  replied  Mrs.  Lacy,  still  unmoved. 

'••  You  do  admit,  then,  that  the  distress  of  these  poor  people 
is  unmerited ! "  the  false  teeth  clattered  ;  "  that  the  sins  of 
the  fathers  ought  not  to  be  visited  upon  their  children  !  My 
dear  Madam !  I  have  said  over  and  over  and  over  asrain,  that 
yours  was  a  truly  humane  spirit,  and  your  views  more  liberal 
than  many  of  your  friends  are  willing  to  allow.  I  shall  tell 
the  story  of  your  goodness  to  the  Youngs  everywhere  !  Oh ! 
I  assure  you  that  I  shall,  make  the  best  of  it !  Kely  upon  me 
for  that ! " 

"  My  mother  hardly  requires  that  one  kind  act  should  be  so 
loudly  trumpeted  in  the  county  in  which  she  has  spent  the 
greater  part  of  her  life !  "  said  Elinor,  with  spirit. 

In  true  feline  nature,  she  ceases  to  purr,  and  strikes  out  with 
her  claws  when  her  favorites  are  assailed.  Miss  Stratton 
reached  over  to  pat  her 'head  with  her  skinny  digits. 

"  Ah  !  my  pet  lamb  !  that  shows  how  limited  is  your  knowl- 
edge of  poor  weak  human  nature  !  I  am  sorry  to  say  it,  yet 
since  it  is  the  truth,  why  should  I  be?  as  I  told  Mr.  French 
the  other  day,  when  he  was  animadverting  rather  harshly  upon 
this  very  topic,  it  is  one  of  the  most  painful  traits  of  mankind 
that  you  may  do  a  person  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  favors 
for  twenty-nine  years,  and  fail  in  the  thirtieth  to  do  him  the 
thousandth,  and  he  will  remember  nothing  except  that  you  have 
disobliged  him." 

A  bit  of  homely  philosophy,  by  the  way,  which  she  must 
have  filched  from  some  one  else.  Her  brain  never  concocted 
anything  so  true  and  telling. 


SUNNYBANK.  149 

"  Antecedents  are  not  worth  a  fig  in  proving  characters,"  she 
ran  on.  "  I  have  asserted  once  and  again,  far  and  near,  If 
Mrs.  Lacy  would  only  be  a  little  politic !  just  adapt  herself  as 
she  could  do,  —  for  she  can  perform  anything  she  chooses  with 
her  own  peculiar  grace,  — just  conform  outwardly  to  the  opin- 
ions and  conduct  of  those  about  her,  there  would  be  less  talk 
of  her  stubborn  disloyalty  —  I  beg  a  million  pardons  !  the  word 
escaped  me  unawares  !  —  I  would  say  her  disaffection  to  the  pre- 
vailing belief,  —  the  universal  persuasion  of  all  true  Southern- 
ers. As  I  have  argued,  times  without  number,  If  Mrs.  Lacy 
—  and  there  isn't  a  kinder-hearted  woman  living  —  would  but 
overcome  her  scruples  so  far  as  to  join  with  our  neighborhood 
circle  in  our  weekly  gatherings  from  house  to  house  to  sew  for 
the  soldiers ;  or,  if  she  preferred  to  plead  domestic  duties,  or 
slight  indisposition,  —  for  our  discussions  are  perhaps  too  patri- 
otic on  these  occasions  to  be  palatable  to  the  ears  of  Yankee 
sympathizers,  —  if  she  thought  it  better  to  send  for  a  bundle  of 
army  cloth  and  cut  out  and  make,  —  or  should  she  object  to 
handling  the  coarse  stuff — for  it  is  rough,  and  the  'fuzz'  flies 
into  one's  eyes  and  nose,  and  the  dye  rubs  off  on  one's  fingers, 
as  my  unfortunate  hands  can  testify — just  look  at  them  — 
should  she  dislike  to  manufacture  the  garments  herself,  she 
might  have  them  made  in  her  establishment  —  for  a  more  able 
corps  of  seamstresses  I  never  beheld.  If  she  would  condescend 
to  conciliate  her  more  loyal  acquaintances  even  so  far  as  this  — 
as  I  have  insisted  here,  there,  and  everywhere  —  tongues  would 
wag  less  furiously  against  her  and  her  husband  ?  " 

I  should  have  been  sorely  cheated  had  I  missed  the  sight  of 
Elinor's  face,  while  this  tirade  was  being  ppured  forth.  Held 
silent  by  her  mother's  peremptory  eye,  she  fretted  like  an  un- 
broken colt  in  harness.  Her  cheek  was  like  the  ripe  side  of  a 
Georgian  peach  ;  her  eyes  darted  sparks  through  the  drooping 
lashes  ;  her  small  hands  crushed  one  another  cruelly,  and  chafed 
the  round,  dainty  wrists  until  they  were  streaked  with  purple. 
I  was  in  a  state  of  wicked  enjoyment.  So  lively  a  tilting-match 
is  not  offered  to  my  gaze  every  day. 
13* 


150  SUNNYBANK. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  my  conduct  has  given  offence  to  my  former 
friends  and  present  neighbors,"  returned  Mrs.  Lacy.  She  was 
too  old  and  wily  a  combatant  to  betray  one  of  the  outward 
tokens  of  emotion  manifested  by  her  daughter.  "I  am  inno- 
cent of  intentional  disrespect  to  them.  Much  less  have  I  de- 
signed to  show  wilful  unkindness  toward  them.  Nor  have  I 
obtruded  my  private  opinions  of  public  affairs  upon  a  single 
person  in  this  community.  My  crime  seems  to  be  that  I  stay 
quietly  at  home  and  mind  my  own  business,  imitating  in  this, 
as  in  all  other  respects  where  it  is  practicable  to  do  so,  the  ex- 
ample of  my  husband.  Since  the  outbreak  of  the  armed  rebel- 
lion, no  one  in  this  neighborhood,  or  any  other,  has  heard  from 
Mr.  Lacy  a  word  inimical  to  the  party  in  power." 

"  Precisely  what  I  have  affirmed,  repeated,  and  reiterated  !  " 
cried  Miss  Hetty,  her  jaws  in  noisy  collision.  "  I  have  said 
in  the  closet  and  upon  the  house-top  that  Mr.  Lacy  was  one 
of  the  salt  of  the  earth.  And  if  he  was  a  strenuous  Submis- 
sionist  as  long  as  he  dared  to  be,  and  opposed  the  march  of  the 
righteous  cause  up  to  the  very  last  moment  in  which  it  was 
safe  for  a  man  to  open  his  mouth  on  that  side  —  do,  for  pity's 
sake,  give  him  credit  for  keeping  quiet  now  that  speech  would 
be  dangerous  !  And  if —  so  I  reason  with  the  grumblers  —  if 
silence  at  this  vital  stage  of  our  dear,  beloved  South's  history 
is  treason,  is  that  any  just  cause  why  this  good  man  —  this 
elder  in  a  Christian  church,  and  his  wife,  a  model  mistress, 
wife,  and  mother  —  should  be  ostracized  and  condemned  un- 
heard ?  Do  the  exigencies  of  the  times  —  and  upon  this  point 
I  dwell  continually  and  forcibly  —  does  the  good  of  the  Cause 
require  unsparing  proscription  ?  Let  us,  in  tender  memory  of 
the  dear,  noble  sons  who  have  cast  in  their  lot  with  our  strug- 
gling, down-trodden,  bleeding-at-every-pore  South,  be  forbearing, 
and  await  the  developments  of  Time  !  " 

At  this  juncture  the  teeth  became  unmanageable,  and  she 
shut  her  mouth  ;  whereupon  there  ensued  a  click  like  the  snap- 
ping of  a  spring  lock,  and  she  was  all  right  again. 

Mrs.    Lacy   sewed   steadily,   without   a   nervous   breath   or 


SUNNYBANK.  151 

gesture.  Elinor's  palms  and  wrists  were  bruised  almost  to 
blackness,  and  the  veins  in  her  forehead  were  swollen  cords. 
That  girl's  habit  of  obedience  to  her  strong-willed  mother  is 
little  short  of  miraculous.  Seeing  that  she  would  suffocate 
sooner  than  speak,  and  thereby  disobey  her  despot,  I  slipped  in 
an  oily  word. 

"  We  are  greatly  indebted  to  you,  Miss  Hetty,  for  your  gal- 
lant advocacy  of  our  cause,  since  it  appears  to  be  so  unpopular." 

"  Thank  you,  Agatha  !  It  is  a  principle  of  mine  to  stand  up 
for  my  friends,  right  or  wrong  —  right  or  wrong  —  as  I  had 
occasion  to  apologize  to  a  lady,  yesterday,  for  my  warm  de- 
fence of  my  favorites  here  at  Sunnybank.  And  I  cannot 
express  to  you  the  delight  I  feel  at  seeing  you,  Mrs.  Lacy,  and 
my  precious  girls  here  at  work  for  the  helpless  family  of  a 
private  in  the  army.  There  is  something  so  sweet  and  unosten- 
tatious about  it !  so  not-letting-your-right-hand-know-what-your- 
left-hand-does-y  in  this  quiet,  active  beneficence,  that  it  actually 
calls  forth  tears,"  —  wiping  her  high-bridged  nose,  holding  her 
handkerchief  with  her  thumb  and  finger  —  second,  third,  and 
fourth  fingers  in  a  position  of  extreme  divergence.  "  Oh  !  I  en- 
gage that  this  sign  of  dawning  reformation  shall  be  extensively 
circulated  !     Trust  me  for  that !  " 

"  We  do  !  "  I  said,  solemnly. 

My  Lady  gave  me  a  glance  of  amused  reproof. 

"  My  daughter  !  "  she  said  softly  to  the  mutely-restive  slave 
beside  her,  —  and  when  she  likes,  her  tones  are  very  musical 
and  tender,  — ''  will  you  give  orders  for  an  early  supper?  Your 
father  will  be  home  soon  now.  And  see  that  Miss  Hetty's  room 
is  ready  for  her." 

As  the  liberated  girl  disappeared,  the  hostess  accosted  her 
guest  with  unflinching  politeness. 

"  Suppose  we  leave  the  debatable  ground  of  politics,  Hetty, 
and  take  a  stroll  in  the  garden  !  Our  late  flowers  are  looking 
finely  this  season." 

I  arose  and  attended  my  patroness'  steps,  as  she  willed  I 
should  do ;  and  when  we  had  made  the  circuit  of  the  flower- 


152  SUNNYBANK. 

garden,  and  heard  Miss  Hetty  pronounce  this  "  exqmsite ! " 
and  that  "  swe-perb  !  "  and  the  other  "  so  perfect !  "  we  went  in 
to  tea.  Elinor  chatted  with  her  father  at  the  table,  and  scarcely 
looked  toward  the  visitor.  Mrs.  Lacy  was  dignified,  and  I 
played  the  agreeable  generally  ;  "  did"  the  amiable  alkali  busi- 
ness to  the  oil  and  acid  of  the  mixture.  Supper  w^as  over  by 
eight  o'clock,  and  we  had  before  us  the  enlivening  prospect  of 
an  evening  of  certain  boredom.  In  view  of  this.  Miss  Elinor 
promptly  assumed  the  role  of  the  good  sister,  and  offered,  with 
bewitching  fondness,  to  put  Carrie  to  bed.  I  believe  she  really 
likes  the  monkey ;  but  it  was  not  this  liking  that  induced  her 
particular  attentions  to  her  on  this  evening,  and  detained  her 
above  stairs  for  an  hour  and  more,  while  Miss  Hetty  deluged  us 
with  wishy-washy  tattle  in  the  parlor. 

It  must  have  been  nine  o'clock  when  Elinor  walked  into  the 
parlor,  and,  in  apparent  abstraction,  pushed  the  door  to  after 
her.  She  is  so  prone  to  do  meaningless  things  that  I  should 
not  have  noticed  the  action  had  not  her  mother  exclaimed  at 
the  heat  of  the  room,  and  requested  her  to  unclose  the  door. 
She  obeyed  with  a  silly  simper,  and  performed  what  I  imagined 
was  her  real  errand  to  the  apartment ;  viz.,  summoned  Mamma 
to  a  culinary  conference  in  the  hall.  My  Lady  was  first  to  re- 
appear. Her  placid  demeanor  and  tranquil  resumption  of  Sally 
Young's  unfinished  calico  created  no  suspicion  of  any  mystery 
connected  with  her  temporary  absence.  But  ten  minutes  there- 
after Elinor  floated  upon  our  sight,  eyes  shining  like  stars,  her 
cheeks  suffused  with  rose-color,  and  on  her  mouth  a  smile  of 
happiness  that  promised,  each  second,  to  break  into  ecstasy. 
She  was  actually  transfigured  by  some  new  and  secret  bliss. 
My  instant  thought  was,  that  the  mail  had  brought  the  long- 
pined-for  letter  from  the  thither  shore  of  the — to  us  —  impassable 
gulf;  but  a  little  reflection  corrected  this.  Mrs.  Lacy  had  asked 
her  Lord,  in  my  hearing,  "Any  letters,  my  dear?"  and  been 
answered,  as  I  knew  truthfully,  "  None  !  "  I  have  no  love  for 
this  demigod  of  the  household ;  but  he  speaks  the  truth,  or 
holds  his  tongue.     I  tried  a  shrewd  device  for  divining  my 


SUNNYBANK.  ^    153 

young  lady's  feelings.  I  sent  her  to  the  piano,  where  she  foiled 
me  by  playing  a  string  of  sentimental  fooleries  to  please  the 
taste  of  the  romantic  Hetty. 

Well !  I  am  gradually  coming  to  the  pith  of  the  matter  —  the 
kernel  of  the  nut  —  the  heart  of  the  mystery  !  I  was  bored,  and 
tired,  and  depressed  ;  and  I  did  what  most  honest  Christians  are 
apt  to  do  in  similar  circumstances,  —  went  to  bed  and  to  sleep. 
So  sound  was  my  repose,  that  when,  after  what  I  imagined  was 
a  short  nap,  I  was  aroused  by  a  tapping  at  my  door,  and  opened 
my  eyes,  I  saw  that  it  was  already  dawn.  I  got  up  and  drew 
back  my  bolt  to  the  untimely  intruder,  whose  agitated  tapping 
irritated  my  nerves,  or  temper.  There  stood  Miss  Hetty 
Stratton  in  a  long,  white  gown  and  a  frilled  night-cap  with  an 
astonishing  border,  trimmed  with  lace. 

"Let  me  in!  Let  me  in!"  she  whispered  hurriedly,  her 
teeth  very  shaky,  as  were  her  limbs  with  chill  or  fright.  "  I  c?a 
believe  I  am  going  to  faint !  " 

And  down  she  plumped  herself  upon  my  bed,  gasping  and 
yawning  like  a  fish  upon  dry  land. 

"  I  will  call  Mrs.  Lacy,"  I  said,  moving  toward  the  door. 

"  Not  for  ten  thousand  worlds  I  "  she  exclaimed,  sitting  up 
with  a  wonderful  return  of  vitality.  "  Lock  that  door,  do  !  and 
come  here  !  I  have  had  such  a  fright !  such  a  disappointment ! 
such  a  disclosure  I  I  must  tell  somebody  of  it,  or  I  shall  die  I 
Can  I  trust  you  ?  " 

"  To  tell  —  or  not  to  tell  ?  "  I  asked,  laughing,  for  my  powers 
of  description  cannot  do  justice  to  the  comic  scene. 

"  My  blessed  child  !  don't  laugh  !  It  is  an  awful  thing  — a 
secret  involving,  maybe,  life  and  death.  Who  would  have 
thought  it  ?  I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  of  what  I  have 
proclaimed  fifty  thousand  times  —  that  it  is  not  safe  to  trust  in 
suspicious  characters,  however  fair  may  be  their  professions." 

"  Doubtful  things  are  proverbially  uncertain,"  I  interpolated 
dryly;  "but  what  have  you  seen?  a  ghost,  or  a  Yankee 
soldier  ?  " 

"  Hush-sh-sh  !  not  so  loud.     Put  your  ear  down  to  me.    You 


154  SUNNYBANK. 

will  be  discreet,  for  you  are  at  heart  true  to  the  cause  —  are 
you  not  ?  " 

"  Yes  —  yes  !  but  go  on  !  '* 

"  A  Yankee  spy  spent  last  night  under  this  roof!  "  she  whis- 
pered —  a  horrible,  creaking  whisper,  which  suggested  the  idea 
that  her  thorax  and  epiglottis  were  ossified,  and  needed  oiling 
in  the  joints. 

I  shivered  as  I  shrank  away  from  her  lips. 

"I  don't  wonder  you  tremble!"  she  continued.  "It  is 
enough  to  make  one's  hair  stand  on  end !  Lie  down  here  by 
me,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  whole  story." 

I  preferred  sitting  up,  and  she  agreed  that  I  should  do  this, 
provided  I  sat  upon  the  bed  close  beside  her.  She  went  through 
her  narrative  in  the  same  hollow,  grating  whisper  that  had 
chilled  my  marrow. 

She  had  noticed  all  the  afternoon  a  restless,  unsettled  look 
about  the  whole  family,  excepting  myself,  and  her  imagination 
took  alarm  at  this  as  a  sign  that  some  evil  was  brewing. 
Elinor's  absences  from  the  room,  and  the  frivolous  excuses 
given  for  these,  were  further  links  in  the  chain  of  evidence 
against  the  dear  friends  she  now  stigmatized  as  "  midnight  plot- 
ters." 

"  But  when  the  innocent-faced  little  jade  came  into  the 
parlor  and  shut  the  door,  I  was  sure  that  something  was  on  foot. 
My  hearing  is  acute.  My  friends  often  tell  me  that  I  am  a 
regular  Fine  Ear.  '  Why  do  you  shut  the  door  ? '  said  Mrs. 
Lacy,  thoughtlessly,  no  doubt,  for  I  am  morally  sure  that  she 
was  in  the  secret  all  the  while.  The  door  was  opened,  and  I 
heard,  as  plainly  as  I  ever  heard  anything  in  my  born  days,  a 
man's  step  upon  the  stairs." 

"  One  of  the  servants,"  I  said  in  all  sincerity,  for  I  looked 
for  nothing  but  the  smallest  of  mice  from  this  travailing  moun- 
tain. 

"  Don't  you  believe  it !  It  was  the  firm,  quick  step  of  a 
gentleman's  boot !  As  if  I  didn't  know  the  tread  of  a  gentle- 
man from  that  of  a  negro  !.    I  could  recognize  the  step  of  every 


SUNNYBANK.  155 

gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  if  I  were  blindfolded  by  twenty 
thicknesses  of  pocket-handkerchief." 

When  I  reflected  upon  the  number  of  years  during  which  she 
had  been  hearkening  with  anxiety,  amounting  to  agony,  for  the 
"  coming  man,"  I  considered  this  highly  probable  ;  so  I  said, 
"  Indeed ! "  and  yawned  in  drowsy  inattention  she  would  not 
comprehend. 

"  Then  that  little  intriguer "  —  she  evidently  took  a  special 
pleasure  in  stigmatizing  her  late  favorite  —  "  that  little  intriguer 
took  me  away  to  the  farthest  corner  of  the  house  to  sleep,  in  a 
good-enough  room  to  be  sure,  but  a  mile  off  from  anybody  else  ! 
You  needn't  tell  me  there  was  no  design  in  that !  " 

I  did  not  remind  her  that  her  door  was  just  opposite  mine, 
for  what  am  I  but  a  nobody  ? 

"  The  room  which  I  suppose  you  expected  to  have  adjoins 
Mr.  Lacy's  study,"  I  explained.  "  Perhaps  they  were  afraid 
you  might  snore  and  disturb  him.  He  sometimes  sits  up  very 
late." 

I  was  reckless  about  angering  her.  Up  to  this  hour,  I  had 
liad  only  the  slightest  imaginable  modicum  of  condescending 
notice  from  her.  She  was  herself  a  poor  relation  and  a  sponge 
upon  her  wealthy  friends,  and  naturally  intolerant  of  other  par- 
asites. Besides,  I  knew  that  she  did  snore  horribly,  and  was 
willing  that  she  should  be  advised  of  her  infirmity. 

*'  /  disturb  him  /  "  —  spitefully  emphatical.  Her  china  blue 
eyes  glared,  and  she  clutched  the  air  with  her  bony  fingers. 
"  Wait  until  you  hear  all !  I  hadn't  been  in  my  chamber  five 
minutes  when  I  caught  sight  of  the  reflection  of  a  lantern  upon 
the  palings  on  that  side  of  the  lawn.  I  soon  made  up  my  mind 
that  somebody  was  moving  about  in  the  stable  yard,  and  con- 
sidering that  it  was  almost  eleven  o'clock,  and  Mr.  Lacy  is  so 
particular  in  having  his  stables  locked  early,  and  there  are  so 
many  horse  thieves  about,  I  thought  it  only  prudent  and  kind  to 
try  and  find  out  v/hat  it  meant.  I  was  afraid  to  look  out  into 
the  hall  for  quite  a  while,  for,  as  I  always  shall  declare,  these 
long  passages  are  the  most  ghostly  places    in    nature ;    but, 


156  SUNNYBANK. 

presently,  I  became  so  uneasy  that  I  could  stand  it  no  longer,  for 
the  light  kept  waving,  and  flickering,  and  dancing  up  and  down, 
and  at  last  disappeared  entirely,  and  so  suddenly  I  was  positive 
that  the  thief  had  gone  into  the  stable.  I  couldn't  reconcile  it 
to  my  conscience  not  to  give  the  alarm." 

"  Dear  me  ! "  I  yawned  again.  "  What  an  uncomfortable 
appendage  such  a  conscience  as  yours  must  be  !  I  should  have 
gone  to  bed  without  giving  the  matter  two  thoughts." 

"  But  you  see  I  couldn't !  I  am  forever  saying  that  if  one 
ever  learns  to  love  her  neighbor  as  herself,  it  must  be  by  forcing 
herself  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  that  neighbor's  every-day 
affairs.  I  threw  on  a  black  cloak  I  found  in  my  closet,  and 
crept  out  into  the  entry.  It  was  dark  as  pitch,  but  I  groped 
my  way  to  the  main  hall,  and  across  this  to  the  door  of  Mr. 
Lacy's  study." 

I  held  up  my  hands.  "  In  your  night-gown,  Miss  Hetty ! 
What  if  he  had  opened  the  door !  " 

"  I  thought  of  that,  and  made  up  my  mind  not  to  let  him  do 
it.  I  meant  to  hold  the  knob  tightly  in  my  hand,  and  call  to 
him  through  the  keyhole.  Just  as  I  stooped  to  do  this  I  heard 
voices  inside,  and " 

"  You  listened  at,  instead  of  speaking  through,  the  keyhole  !  " 
I  filled  up  the  pause.  ''  Very  proper  and  natural — inevitable,  in 
fact !  " 

She  took  me  at  my  word.  "  As  you  say,  there  was  nothing 
else  to  do.     A  man  was  talkins  !  " 

*'  Another  man  !  why.  Miss  Hetty  !  "  seeing  that  she  expected 
some  comment  upon  this  tremendous  announcement. 

"  Yes —  and  although  the  voice  seemed  to  be  a  familiar  one, 
it  did  not  just  then  occur  to  me  whose  it  was.  He  spoke  in  a 
low  tone,  and  I  could  only  catch  a  half-sentence  here  and  there. 
The  first  thing  I  heard  distinctly  was,  '  There  is  an  under- 
ground railroad  about  fifty  miles  down  the  river  — '  and  then 
— '  I  have  a  pass  through  the  Confederate  lines.'  Next 
came  your  name  —  '  Don't  mention  my  visit  to  Agatha,  what- 
ever you  do.'     I  couldn't  quite  get  the  rest  of  the  remark,  but 


SUNNTBANK.  157 

the  substance  was,  that  if  the  story  were  once  in  your  posses- 
sion, there  was  no,  telling  what  his  fate  might  be." 

"  Now  you  are  romancing,"  I  said,  scornfully,  to  conceal  the 
ridiculous  thrill  these  words  gave  me. 

"  It  is  true  as  gospel,  child  !  It  was  hearing  this  that  put 
it  into  my  head  to  tell  you  the  whole  affair.  When  the  man 
stopped  talking,  Elinor  spoke,  in  that  soft,  tender  voice  of  hers 
which  people  think  angelic,  though  I  must  say,  as  I  have  re- 
peatedly whispered  to  my  friends,  that  I  never  knew  another 
girl  who,  in  my  opinion,  was  so  egregiously  overrated.  She 
talked  very  low.  It  was  plain  they  were  in  there  alone  —  at 
half  past  eleven  o'clock  at  night ;  and  Mrs.  Lacy  has  the  name 
of  having  brought  her  children  up  so  discreetly  !  And  as  sure 
as  you  are  born,  I  smelled  hot  coffee  through  the  keyhole  ! 
My  nose  is  exquisitely  keen." 

"  Never  mind  your  nose ! "  I  interrupted,  impatiently. 
"What  did  Elinor  say?" 

'*  I  couldn't  catch  a  word  —  only  the  tone  ;  but  that  was 
smooth  as  cream,  and  sweet  as  honey.  He  lowered  his  voice, 
too,  in  replying,  but  I  heard  '  evidences  of  affection,  Brownie.* 
And  how  lovingly  he  did  bring  out  that  '  Brownie  ! '  I  vow, 
it  made  me  sick  to  hear  it." 

I  was  beginning  to  feel  cold  and  sick,  too.  Yet  I  did  not 
evince  by  accent  or  movement  the  impatience,  the  suspense,  the 
suspicions  that  tugged  at  my  heart-strings.  I  was  assured,  if 
one  tenth  of  this  tale  were  true,  who  was  the  midnight  guest. 
But  I  could  bear  all  that  I  suffered,  and  more,  sooner  than  let 
this  harpy  alight  upon  my  vitals,  and  drag  out  my  secret  fester 
for  the  regalement  of  herself  and  fellows.  I  yawned,  the  third 
time,  more  broadly  than  I  had  yet  done. 

"It  was  either  Ross  or  Lynn,  I  imagine"  —  very  sleepily 
indeed.  "  There  may  have  been  a  military  necessity  for  not 
makino^  his  cominor  matter  of  common  talk." 

"  Ross  or  Lynn,  indeed  !  As  if  I  did  not  know  their  voices 
as  well  as  I  do  my  own  !  What  had  they  to  do  with  under- 
ground railroads  and  passes  through  the  Confederate  lines? 
14 


158  SUNNYBANK. 

But  I  shall  never  get  through  if  you  interrupt  me  so  !  I  could 
make  out  but  little  more.  Once  he  said,  '  The  section  that 
has  most  men  and  most  money  will  triumph  in  the  end.'  And 
again,  '  I  did  not  come  to  Sunnybank  to  talk  politics.'  Then 
there  was  a  little  bustle  in  the  room,  as  if  one  or  both  of , them 
had  arisen  from  their  chairs,  and  I  had  to  run  for  it.  I  had 
just  reached  the  narrow  passage,  when  Elinor  came  out  of  the 
study,  and  hurried  along  toward  her  chamber,  I  suppose  to  get 
something  that  her  visitor  needed.  At  any  rate,  I  considered 
it  best  to  go  back  to  my  quarters,  until  the  house  should  be 
quiet.  By  this  time  the  light  in  the  stable-yard  was  gone  ;  but 
I  took  a  seat  by  my  window,  determined  to  watch  for  more 
developments  of  this  midnight  treason.  For,  as  I  have  pro- 
claimed, a  thousand  times,  if  I  have  once,  these  are  the  days 
that  try  men's  souls  and  women's  hearts  and  nerves  ;  and  if  I 
do  say  it,  that  shouldn't  say  it,  there  is  the  material  for  a  Bru- 
tus in  my  spirit.  My  nephew  Rolf  has  repeatedly  said  to  me, 
'  Old  girl,  you  are  a  frail  bark,  but  you  do  work  like  a  Trojan. 
There's  the  right  sort  of  timber  in  your  sails.' " 

"  And  presently  you  dropped  asleep,  I  suppose,  and  awoke 
just  now,  with  a  crick  in  your  neck  and  a  cold  in  your  head." 
I  pretended  to  wind  up  the  narration  to  my  complete  satisfaction. 

"  Sleep  !  not  a  wink  has  visited  my  eyelids  this  blessed  night ! 
Before  two  o'clock,  there  was  a  light  in  Rachel's  house,  and 
smoke  pouring  out  of  her  chimney,  warm  as  the  weather  is. 
Then  old  Will's  door  opened,  and  he  went  across  the  yard  with 
a  lantern,  in  the  direction  of  the  stable ;  and  I  saw  through  it 
all  in  a  flash  —  how  he  had  been  busy  there  with  the  traveller's 
horse  earlier  in  the  night.  I  set  my  door  ajar,  and  listened 
for  sounds  from  below.  I  heard  Rachel  come  puffing  into  the 
dining-room,  briuo^inf?  in  the  breakfast  she  had  been  cookins:. 
There  were  other  noises.  You  know  what  a  place  for  echoes 
that  great  staircase  is.  Three  people  went  down  it  very  cau- 
tiously —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lacy  and  Elinor  —  for  I  recognized 
their  steps.  Then  another  door  was  unclosed,  and  the  stranger 
walked  fast  and  lightly  through  the  hall,  and  ran  down  stairs. 


SUNNYBANK.  159 

He  came  from  the  spare  chamber,  which  I  was  not  allowed  to 
occupy.  Pretty  soon,  they  left  the  dining-room,  and  passed 
toward  the  side-door ;  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  visitor 
was  to  mount  there,  to  avoid  the  risk  of  being  seen  from  your 
windows  or  mine.  I  was  resolved  to  get  one  look  at  him.  His 
room  was  empty,  and  it  commanded  a  perfect  view  of  the  side- 
porch.  I  slipped  along  the  wall,  for  it  was  still  very  dark,  and 
found  the  open  door  without  trouble.  I  smelled  the  broad- 
cloth and  boots  as  soon  as  I  was  in  the  chamber.  I  can  always 
tell  when  a  man  has  occupied  an  apartment  within  the  last 
twelve  hours.  My  patriotic  zeal  must  have  given  me  courage 
to  explore  the  premises.  As  I  am  eternally  reminding  my 
sisters,  when  they  wonder  at  my  self-denial,  and  energy,  and 
strength,  under  the  adverse  circumstances  that  distress  and 
harass  us,  I  can  bear  and  do  everything  in  a  righteous  cause. 
I  could  go  to  the  stake " 

"  And  you  explored  the  room?  "     I  brought  her  back. 

She  looked  as  Virginia  might  have  done  at  sight  of  the  sacri- 
ficial butcher-knife,  if  Virginia  had  been  a  scrawny  spinster  of 
forty-five,  in  a  ruffled  night-cap,  and  with  loose  false  teeth. 

"  I  did !  I  went  straight  up  to  the  bed,  and  plunged  my 
hands  into  it !  A  man  had  slept  in  it ;  it  was  still  warm,  and 
the  pillow  smelled  of  cigar  smoke.  I  then  proceeded  to  the  win- 
dow and  leaned  out.  There  was  a  horse  standing  before  the 
porch,  and  several  figures  were  huddled  together  upon  the  steps. 
They  talked  in  whispers,  but  I  could  hear  a  word  or  two.  The 
stranger's  last  farewell  was  to  '  Brownie.'  '  I  wish  I  dared 
take  you  with  me  ! '  he  said.  Then  he  got  upon  his  horse, 
and  moved  slowly  away,  taking  the  turf  on  the  side  of  the  road, 
that  the  clatter  of  hoofs  might  not  give  the  alarm.  When  those 
he  had  left  in  the  porch  turned  to  come  in,  I  beat  a  retreat. 
The  floor  is  covered  with  matting,  you  know,  and  in  crossing 
this,  I  slipped  upon  something.  It  was  the  envelope  of  a  let- 
ter. Here  it  is.  There  is  light  enough  now  to  read  it  by.  I 
had  to  wait  until  the  house  was  still  again  before  I  could  strike 
a  match  and  satisfy  my  burning  curiosity." 


IGO  SUNNYBANK. 

I  accepted  the  envelope,  which  she  thrust  between  my  fingers, 
took  it  to  the  window,  and  drew  back  the  curtain.  The  red 
rays  of  the  coming  sun  poured  directly  over  me  and  it.  The 
cover  was  torn  half  in  two,  but  the  name  was  there  in  full,  in 
Mr.  Lacy's  handwriting :  — 


OAiuA     ^o^d    ^ay. 


I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  turn  my  back  upon  the  prying 
mischief-maker.  The  instinct  of  self-preservation  is  the  strong- 
est known  to  man  or  woman,  and  it  did  not  desert  me. 

When  I  faced  her  again,  after  a  protracted  study  of  the  frag- 
ment, I  asked,  composedly,  *'  And  is  it  your  belief  that  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  is  written  here  spent  last  night  under  this  roof?" 

"  I  would  wager  my  life  upon  it !  I  can  swear  to  his  voice, 
his  walk,  his  figure  !     The  shameless,  impudent  Yankee  spy  !  " 

I  stared  at  her  now,  in  real  bewilderment. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  I  questioned,  slowly. 

"  Mean  !  That  these  Lacys  have  harbored  a  Yankee  spy, 
and  are  in  secret  correspondence  with  the  enemy.  I  said  it 
last  night  half  in  fun.  I  repeat  it  in  awful  earnest.  Nobody 
knows  what  information  they  may  have  given,  or  how  many 
times  that  fellow  may  have  been  sneaking  over  the  lines,  on  his 
underground  railroad.  I  wonder  the  judgment  of  Heaven  does 
not  fall  upon  this  house,  when  such  deeds  of  darkness  are  com- 
mitted here.  But  he  won't  come  again,  I'll  promise  you !  I 
will  inform  the  Viorilance  Committee  !  I  will  arouse  the  neio^h- 
borhood !  I  will  go  in  person  to  headquarters !  I  will  do 
something  desperate  !  " 

At  this  climax,  the  vacillating  teeth  accomplished  a  feat  of 
desperation,  upon  their  own  responsibility.  They  escaped  irre- 
trievably from  the  hold  of  the  faded  lips,  and  tumbled  to  the 
floor  —  gums,  roof,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  palate,  as  well. 
Miss  Hetty  dived  after  them  ;  and  this  element  of  the  ludicrous 


SUNNYBANK.  161 

being  all  that  was  needed  to  put  the  finishing  stroke  to  my  ex- 
cited mood,  I  dropped  into  a  chair,  and  laughed  until  I  cried. 
When  I  could  control  myself,  I  found  Miss  Hetty  standing  over 
me,  mopping  my  head  with  cologne. 

"  Poor  thing  !  poor  thing !  no  wonder  you  are  upset !  "  she 
was  saying,  snuffling  sympathetically  meanwhile.  "  It  must 
be  a  shock  to  discover  the  baseness  of  your  benefactors." 

"  Jew  !  I  thank  thee  for  that  word,"  was  the  quotation  that 
came  to  my  mind.  It  steadied  me  immediately.  Yet  I  feigned 
an  hysterical  sob  and  giggle,  before  I  entered  a  protest  against 
her  threatened  exposure.  I  had  to  deal  with  a  fool,  and  I 
handled  her  according  to  her  folly.  I  held  up  to  her  view  the 
consequences  to  herself  of  her  recital  of  the  events  of  the  past 
night ;  the  ignominy  that  would  follow  her  confession  of  the 
manner  in  which  her  information  had  been  gained  ;  the  reputa- 
tion she  would  achieve  as  an  eavesdropper  and  a  betrayer  of 
neighborly  hospitality.  I  entreated  her  to  move  cautiously,  if 
move  she  must,  in  the  affair.  I  would  not  screen  my  "  bene- 
factors," because  they  were  such.  I  would,  from  this  moment, 
mount  guard  over  them,  and,  should  other  suspicious  circum- 
stances seem  to  confirm  her  belief  that  there  was  in  operation 
a  systematic  correspondence  with  the  invaders,  I  would  assur- 
edly confide  these  to  her.  If  the  public  welfare-,  required  an 
exposure,  let  it  be  complete.  Patient  vigilance  might  bring 
more  conclusive  or  available  proof. 

I  quieted,  convinced,  and  finally  I  got  rid  of  the  prating 
idiot.  I  saw  her  to  her  room  and  to  her  bed,  with  my  smell- 
ing salts  within  her  reach,  should  her  emotions  overpower  her 
anew.  Then  I  went  back  to  my  chamber,  and  darkened  the 
windows,  —  the  morning  was  heartlessly  bright,  —  and  sat  down 
upon  the  floor  to  think  of  what  I  had  heard. 

I  can  think  now,  and  plan,  and  resolve.  But  then  I  could 
only  repeat  one  thing  over  to  my  stunned  brain  and  heart,  — 

^'  He  came  for  the  love  he  bears  her  !  Nothing  else  !  noth- 
ing else ! " 


1G2  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


ELINOR. 

December  29. 

We  five  young  people  —  Ross,  Lynn,  Rolf  Kingston,  Agatha, 
and  I  —  were  having  a  pleasant  evening  together. 

Lynn  has  been  with  us  now  for  ten  days.  His  wound,  re- 
ceived in  the  bloody  fight  of  Fredericksburg,  has  healed  rapidly 
under  Mamma's  nursing  and  the  unlimited  supply  of  petting 
afforded  him  by  Agatha  and  myself.  Until  very  lately,  I  have 
not  been  quite  reconciled  to  the  betrothal  of  my  brother  and  my 
friend.  Dearly  as  I  love  both,  the  news  cost  me  a  pang ;  it  may 
have  been  of  selfish  regret  for  my  prospective  loss  of  his  atten- 
tions, which  were,  in  time  past,  rather  lover-like  than  brotherly 
in  their  tenderness  and  constancy.  It  could  not  have  been  a 
doubt  of  her  worthiness  to  fill  the  highest  seat,  even  in  his 
heart.  I  do  not  know  a  nobler  girl  than  Agatha.  If  she  is 
somewhat  enigmatical  once  in  a  while,  her  peculiarities  harm  no 
one  except  herself.  Latterly,  her  deportment  has  been  beyond 
all  praise.  From  the  moment  of  Lynn's  arrival,  weak,  pale, 
suifering,  at  his  father's  door,  she  has  thrown  aside  the  mask 
of  maidenly  coyness,  and  manifested  toward  him  the  calm, 
steady  affection  of  a  faithful  wife. 

"  I  am  inexperienced,  and  I  will  not  interfere  with  your 
duties.  It  is  your  right  to  have  the  nearest  place  ;  but,  surely, 
it  is  my  privilege  to  work  with  you,  and  perform  such  oflEices  as 
you  are  willing  to  intrust  to  my  unskilful  hands,"  she  pleaded 
with  Mamma  that  night. 

Since  then,  the  understanding  between  them  has  been  perfect, 
and  their  joint  task  performed  harmoniously.     For  three  days 


SUNNYBANK.  163 

past,  Lynn's  convalescence  has  transferred  the  care  of  him 
almost  entirely^o  Agatha  ;  and  very  happy  they  are  under  this 
order  of  things.  On  this  evening,  he  lay  upon  the  sofa  in  the 
parlor,  and  she  sat  on  the  cushion  at  his  side.  We  had  voted, 
unanimously,  for  the  exclusion  of  lamps,  while  the  blending  of 
twilight  and  fire-light  was  so  bewitchingly  provocative  of  con- 
fidential talk  and  pleasing,  yet  sad,  reverie.  We,  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  hearth,  were  careful  not  to  observe  the 
clasped  hands  resting  in  the  shadow  of  the  invalid's  pillows,  or 
to  overhear  a  syllable  of  the  low-voiced  conversation  that 
under-ran  the  stronger  current  of  ours. 

"  The  atmosphere  of  this  place  is  enervating,"  complained 
Koss,  in  mock  dissatisfaction,  throwing  himself  at  half-length 
upon  the  lounge,  and,  uninvited,  laying  his  head  upon  my  lap. 
*'  I  don't  blame  you,  Lynn,  for  spinning  out  your  recovery  at 
such  length.  I  would  be  willing  to  bargain  for  a  flesh-wound 
myself  upon  the  same  terms." 

"  Hannibal  and  Capua  !  "  said  Rolf,  smiling. 

" I  resent  the  comparison,"  I  returned.  "I  prefer  to  think 
of  Washington  and  Mount  Vernon,  in  this  connection." 

"  I  wish  the  analogy  were  perfect  in  all  respects,"  he  said, 
feelingly.  "  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  the  present  com- 
pany will  accuse  me  of  indolence  or  cowardice,  when  I  say  that 
I  wish,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  the  war  were  over,  or 
that  it  had  never  been  inaugurated." 

I  looked  up  in  interest  that  had  in  it  a  large  admixture  of 
surprise.  I  have  greatly  modified  my  old  opinion  of  Rolf 
Kingston.  Within  a  year,  he  has  ripened  in  true  manliness  of 
character,  gained  stability  of  thought  and  principle.  Ross,  who 
has  had  unusual  opportunities  for  studying  his  disposition  and 
conduct,  in  the  daily  association  of  their  camp-life,  has  come  to 
esteem  and  like  him  far  more  sincerely  and  heartily  than  he 
once  thought  possible.  It  is  inevitable  that  this  improvement, 
marked,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  radical,  should  be  accom- 
panied by  increased  breadth  and  justness  of  sentiment  upon 
subjects  that,  from  their  importance,  challenge  grave  considera^ 


164  .  SUNNYBANK. 

tion.  Yet  the  expression  given  above  was  so  foreign  to  any 
other  I  had  ever  heard  from  him,  that  J  was  incredulous  as  to 
my  correct  apprehension  of  it. 

"Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets?"  1  said,  indiscreetly. 

I  was  sorry  for  it  when  I  noticed  the  pained  pause  that  pre- 
ceded his  reply. 

"  Like  many  others,  I  took  leave  of  my  wits  for  a  season.  I 
have  had  enough  to  bring  me  to  my  senses." 

I  remembered  that  he  had  seen  his  favorite  cousin  and  two 
of  the  dearest  friends  of  his  boyhood  fall  upon  the  battle-field, 
and  my  heart  softened  with  pity. 

"  It  is  too  late  now  to  regret  past  errors,"  answered  Ross, 
decidedly.  "  "SVe  have  not  only  drawn  the  sword,  but  thro-svn 
away  the  scabbard.  My  views,  too,  have  undergone  a  change 
since  the  beginning  of  the  war  ;  but  my  conversion  is  not  akin 
to  yours.  I  have  seen  so  much  of  Federal  injustice  and  out- 
rage—  cold-blooded  vandalism,  resulting  in  the  ruin  of  the 
fairest  land  the  sun  ever  shone  upon  —  that  I  have  come  to 
detest  the  cause  for  which  these  creatures  in  the  shape  of  men 
are  fighting.  I  am  fast  learning  to  hate  the  sight  and  name 
of  a  Yankee  as  virulently  as  does  your  '  original  Secession- 
ist.'" 

"  There  have  been  excesses  on  both  sides,"  said  Rolf,  temper- 
ately. 

"  I  grant  it ;  but  let  me  tell  you  of  what  befell  a  friend  of 
mine,  —  a  messmate  of  yours  likewise.  Robert  Campbell  — 
you  know  him  —  lost  a  sister  last  summer,  a  beautiful  girl  of 
eighteen.  Her  father's  house  was  within  the  Federal  lines  ; 
and  the  day  after  her  burial,  a  party  of  cavalry  searched  the^ 
plantation,  professedly  for  concealed  arms  and  ammunition. 
They  smashed  the  china  and  mirrors,  split  up  the  piano  and 
bureaus  into  kindling-wood  for  their  camp-fires,  carried  ofi*  and 
destroyed  provisions  and  clothing,  beside  pocketing  all  the  silver 
they  could  find,  and  consummated  the  sum  of  their  atrocities  by 
opening  the  newly-made  grave  in  quest  of  buried  plate.  They 
dug  down  to  the  coffin,  and  opened  it ! " 


SUNNYBANK.  165 

"  Horrible  !  "  I  cried.  "  And  you  can  believe  this  of  civilized 
men?" 

"  I  had  it  from  Campbell's  own  lips,  that  the  invaders  did 
just  what  I  have  said.  This  is  but  one  of  many  similar  in- 
stances of  their  fiendish  spirit.  I  was  a  Union  man  once  — 
Unionism  learned  at  the  feet  of  him  who,  in  all  other  respects, 
has  proved  himself  the  wisest  of  Gamaliels.  I  declare  calmly 
now,  that  were  the  invading  army  withdrawn  to-morrow,  and 
peace  proclaimed,  I  w^ould  not  cast  my  vote  for  a  return  of  the 
separated  States  to  their  former  relation  to  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment. I  am  not  a  lover  of  the  Confederacy  ;  still  less  am  I 
a  partisan  of  her  rulers  ;  but  Virginia  is  my  mother  !  To  her, 
as  a  sovereign,  and,  if  need  be,  an  independent  State,  I  owe 
allegiance.  I  would  shed  the  last  drop  of  my  blood  to  save  her 
soil  from  desecration.    It  is  no  poetical  figure,  to  say  that  we  — 

'  strike  for  our  altars  and  our  fires, 
Strike  for  the  green  graves  of  our  sires, 
God  and  our  native  land !  "> 

"  Our  unofiicered  bands  have  been  guilty  of  many  outrages  — 
of  shameful  disregard  of  the  rights  of  private  citizens,''  re- 
joined Rolf.  "  I  could  match  your  story,  sad  as  it  certainly  is, 
and  truthful  as  you  assert  it  to  be.  Have  you  never  heard  of 
rings,  and  charms,  and  watch-chains  made  of  the  bones  of  Fed- 
eral soldiers  slain  in  battle  ?  If  not,  I  have  ;  ay,  and  seen 
them  displayed  exultingiy  by  southern  ladies  as  trophies  of 
their  lovers'  valor.  No,  no,  my  dear  fellow  !  we  are  not  yet 
.qualified,  by  principle  or  behavior,  to  set  our  enemies  an  ex- 
ample of  moderation  and  magnanimity." 

""War  is  a  cruel,  cruel  thing!"  I  burst  forth;  "  and  these 
acts  of  plunder  and  sacrilege,  that  would  disgrace  a  race  of 
barbarians,  are  perpetrated  by  men  of  kindred  blood  and  the 
same  religious  faith." 

"You  are  right,"  was  Rolf's  reply,  uttered  gently  and  sadlyl 
"  These  are  a  part  of  the  fortune  of  war ;  and  war  is  a  cruel, 
abominable  relic  of  the  barbarous  ages  —  the  times  of  ignorance 


166  SUNNYBANK. 

at  which  God  winked.  The  chariot  of  civilization  has  rolled  a 
fearful  distance  backward  into  the  darkness  since  the  guns 
of  Sumter  proclaimed,  *  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will 
serve ! ' " 

"Where's  the  sense  in  croaking?"  asked  Ross,  impatiently. 
"  We  have  made  our  choice  ;  or,  rather,  the  pressure  of  events 
forbade  us  to  make  any  other.  You  have  the  blues  to-night, 
Captain." 

"  You  are  far  from  the  mark  there :  I  have  not  been  so  com- 
fortable, in  mind  or  body,  this  winter,  as  I  am  at  this  moment. 
Still,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  confess,  that,  for  me,  the  glamour  of 
this  glorious  strife  is  pretty  thoroughly  dissipated.  Like  Chris- 
topher Sly,  I  am  ready  to  sigh,  'An  excellent  piece  of  work: 
Would  it  were  done  ! '  And  until  it  is  done,  I  expect  to  do 
battle  for  Old  Virginia,  if  my  life  is  spared." 

''  What  is  all  that  raw-head-and-bloody-bones  talk  with  which 
those  sons  of  Mars  are  regaling  you,  Nellie  ?  "  questioned  Lynn, 
from  his  sofa.  "  Are  they  fighting  their  battles  over  for  your 
edification?  " 

"  Kather  wishing  they  had  no  more  to  fight,"  I  answered. 
"  To  which  desire  I  add  my  fervent  '  Amen.'  " 

*'  And  I  mine,"  murmured  Agatha. 

Lynn  dropped  his  voice  to  reply,  and  I  spoke  to  Koss,  to 
cover  the  resumed  tete-a-tete  of  the  lovers. 

"  Do  not  talk  to  Papa  in  the  strain  you  have  just  used  to  me, 
Ross,  dear.  He  would  be  troubled  by  it.  I  like  to  know  just 
how  you  feel  and  think ;  so  you  can  express  yourself  to  me 
freely  as  you  please." 

*' Does  that  signify  partial  conversion,  little  traitress?"  he 
said,  playfully,  pinching  my  chin. 

I  was  so  foolish  as  to  redden  angrily  at  the  last  word.  He 
could  not  see  this  ;  but  my  remonstrance  was  so  quick  he  per- 
ceived that  I  was  wounded. 

"  Don't  call  me  that  I  It  is  not  I  who  have  changed  my 
creed  —  "  I  checked  myself,  and  added,  more  humbly,  "  For- 
give me  ;  I  did  not  mean  to  say  so  much." 


SUNNYBANK.  167 

"  You  are  consistent :  no  one  can  gainsay  that "  was  my 
brother's  reply  as  he  returned  the  pressure  of  my  hand  ;  "  and 
we  will  not  begin  to  quarrel  at  this  late  day,  provided  you  do 
not  insist  upon  my  loving  your  pets,  the  Yankees.     Hark  !  " 

He  started  up,  as  did  Rolf.  Lynn  would  have  arisen,  but 
Agatha  prevented  him.  The  silence  in  the  room  was  so  intense 
that  we  could  hear  the  tinkle  of  the  ashes  dropping  from  the 
burning  logs  in  the  fireplace  upon  the  embers  beneath.  Down 
the  avenue  leading  to  the  house  came  the  measured  beat  of 
many  hoofs,  evidently  of  a  considerable  body  of  horse.  Not 
one  of  us  stirred  or  spoke,  until  the  nearer,  louder  tramp 
ceased  suddenly  at  the  clear  shout,  — 

"  Halt ! " 

As  if  we  had  waited  for  the  signal,  there  was  a  general 
movement. 

"Nellie,  you  will  stay  here  with  Lynn  and  Agatha,  while 
Kingston  and  I  make  a  reconnoissance  ;  not  in  force,  —  I  wish 
it  were  !  "  Ross  ordered,  in  a  tone  of  attempted  gayety.  "We 
will  not  remain  long  in  ignorance  of  the  character  of  our 
visitors." 

They  left  the  room,  and  there  was  another  interval  of  trying 
suspense.  I  shut  my  eyes,  and  prayed  for  strength  to  endure 
the  ordeal  I  feared  was  at  hand.  In  imagination,  I  saw  my 
brothers  dragged  from  their  home,  prisoners,  their  parents' 
anguish,  Agatha's  desolation,  my  own  grief.  Oh,  it  is  moments 
like  these  that  have  made  rebels  of  southern  women ;  not  the 
arguments  of  politicians,  or  the  conviction  of  wrong  suffered  at 
the  hands  of  the  old  Government ! 

Irrepressible  was  the  relief  which  we  all  sustained,  when, 
following  close  upon  a  knock  at  the  front  door,  and  the  subse- 
quent parley  with  the  servant  who  opened  it,  Ross'  tones  rang 
through  the  hall  in  cheery  salute,  and  a  great  tumult  of  ques- 
tions and  welcomes  ensued.  The  door  swung  back,  and  our 
two  captains  entered  with  a  third  gentleman  between  them. 
He  wore  the  Confederate  gray.  His  overcoat  was  buttoned  up 
tightly  to  his  chin ;  his  high  cavalry  boots  were  splashed  with 


168  SUNNYBANK. 

mud,  and  his  hair  was  in  disorder  ;  but  he  was,  notwithstanding 
these  disadvantages  of  external  appearance,  a  frank,  soldier-like 
personage,  with  a  bright  eye,  pleasant  smile,  and  courteous 
bearing. 

*'  My  sister,  Major  Hart,"  said  Ross,  leading  him  up  to  me. 
"  A  young  lady,  who,  if  never  iSrm  in  the  southern  faith  before, 
is  now,  I'll  engage.  Own  up  fairly,  Nellie ;  isn't  the  sight  of 
the  gray  the  most  delightful  that  has  blessed  your  eyes  for  a 
long  while  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  sorry  to  see  Major  Hart,"  I  replied  ; 
"  and  since  the  gi'ay  is  an  inseparable  accompaniment,  I  will 
accept  it." 

He  was  well  known  to  me,  by  reputation,  as  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  dashing  of  the  band  of  ubiquitous  cavalry 
that  is  now  scouring  the  country  between  the  two  rivers,  —  the 
Rappahannock  and  Potomac,  —  and  which  may  yet,  for  any- 
thing we  can  predict  to  the  contrary,  be  heard  from  to-morrow 
at  Harper's  Ferry,  or  in  Maryland,  or,  more  likely  still,  thun- 
dering at  the  gates  of  the  National  capital. 

In  ten  minutes  more,  the  hall  was  filled  with  soldiery,  and  a 
group  of  officers  sat  and  stood  about  the  parlor  fire.  The  whole 
plantation  was  alive  with  the  bustle  of  preparation  for  the 
refreshment  and  lodging  of  the  new  comers.  Impromptu  beds 
were  placed  in  every  apartment  except  the  parlor  and  dining- 
room,  and  for  these  was  held  in  reserve  a  plentiful  supply  of 
materials  for  pallets  —  mattresses,  blankets,  and  the  like. 
Mammoth  boilers  of  coffee  were  hung  over  the  kitchen  fire  for 
the  privates,  and  loaves  of  bread,  of  proportionate  size,  with 
huge  piles  of  rashers  of  bacon,  were  also  destined  for  their  con- 
sumption ;  while  the  store-room  and  pantries  gave  up  their  best 
treasures  to  furnish  a  repast  for  the  w^eary  and  hungry  officers. 

"  They  are  my  friends  and  guests.  Mother,"  said  Ross,  in 
bespeaking  for  them  a  hospitable  reception.  "  I  ask,  as  a  per- 
sonal favor,  that  you  should  treat  them,  for  a  single  night,  as  if 
they  were  yours." 

Major  Hart  objected,  strenuously,  for  a  while,  to  what  he 


SUNNYBANK.  169 

called  "  tliis  extravagance  of  generosity."  His  force  numbered 
about  a  hundred  men,  he  stated,  and  he  could  not  consent  that 
they  should  be  quartered  upon  a  private  family.  The  utmost 
he  asked  for  the  rank  and  file  was  permission  to  bivouac  within 
earshot  of  the  house,  and  that  Mr.  Lacy  would  sell  them  a  little 
forage  for  their  horses,  provided  he  could  spare  it  without  in- 
convenience. For  himself  and  brother  ofiicers,  he  accepted  the 
proffered  hospitality,  most  gratefully.  They  had  had  a  hard 
day's  ride,  and  they  must  be  in  the  saddle  again  before  day- 
light. 

Looking  out  of  the  window  as  our  late  supper  was  announced, 
I  saw  the  gleam  of  camp-fires  in  the  field  beyond  the  lawn,  and 
heard,  borne  upon  the  night  air,  the  merry  voices  of  the  troop- 
ers. The  officers  were  gentlemanly  and  agreeable,  and  the 
supper  hour  was  a  pleasant  one,  with  the  trifling  drawback  of 
the  occasional  allusions  from  some  of  the  party  to  the  object 
of  their  present  expedition,  and  the  success  that  had  crowned 
it,  thus  far.  The  force  of  which  they  were  a  detachment,  had 
been,  for  several  days,  busy  destroying  Federal  stores,  fighting 
Federal  troops,  and  burning  bridges  that  might  offer  facilities 
for  the  Federal  advance.  They  were  in  high  spirits,  and  in- 
clined to  talk  over  their  exploits  at  length.  And  here  Rolf 
Kingston  gave  me  fresh  reason  for  surprise  and  gratitude. 
Without  putting  any  visible  and  unwelcome  curb  upon  the  com- 
municative disposition  of  the  strangers,  he  interposed  repeat- 
edly, with  kindly  tact,  introducing  different  and  yet  enticing 
topics  to  lead  them  away  from  that  which  threatened  to  proVe 
obnoxious  to  Papa,  Mamma,  and  myself.  When  he  could  not 
do  this,  he  tempered  their  boasting  into  harmless  bravado,  par- 
donable in  consideration  of  the  exhilaration  attendant  upon 
recent  prowess.  Whether  or  not  the  rest  understood  his  aim 
and  motive,  I  saw  that  Papa  and  Mamma  did,  and  that,  like 
me,  they  appreciated  it.  The  tone  of  the  party  was  gayer,  and 
their  talk  of  lighter  themes,  when  we  returned  to  the  parlor. 
Agatha  was  the  belle  of  the  evening.  She  looked  every  inch 
the  queen,  enthroned  in  her  arm-chair,  as  the  cynosure  of  a  knot 
15 


170  SUNNYBANK. 

of  obsequious  and  delighted  attendants  ;  her  face,  sparkling  with 
mirth,  so  beautiful,  and  her  repartee  so  happy,  that  Lynn's  eyes 
betrayed  his  proud  satisfaction  to  all  who  chose  to  look  at  him. 
I  was  not  neglected.  Major  Hart  and  Rolf  were  my  devoted 
cavaliers.  We  chatted  and  sang  together,  without  discord  of 
opinion  or  voice,  and  really  enjoyed  ourselves  as  much,  if  not 
more,  than  did  the  more  demonstrative  company  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  room.  At  last.  Major  Hart,  at  my  request,  sat 
down  to  the  piano  alone.  He  has  a  rich  bass  voice,  and  although, 
as  I  fancy,  not  a  thoroughly  educated  musician,  has  excellent 
taste  and  a  fair  execution.  He  had  sung  twice  when  Agatha 
called  out  to  him,  — 

*'  Major  Hart !  do  you  know  '  My  Maryland' ?  " 

"  Quite  as  well  as  I  care  to.  Miss  Lamar,"  he  answered, 
meaningly. 

There  was  a  general  laugh,  all  comprehending  the  allusion  to 
the  late  unsuccessful  advance  into  that  State. 

"  I  mean  the  song !  I  am  dying  to  hear  it.  May  he  sing 
it,  Nellie,  dear  ?  We  need  not  indorse  the  sentiments  expressed 
therein,  you  know.  The  door  is  shut,  and  your  Father  and 
Mother  will  be  none  the  wiser  for  the  gratification  of  my  idle 
curiosity." 

At  first,  the  proposition  seemed  to  me  unkind.  An  instant's 
reflection  showed  me  that  gayety  had  only  rendered  her  inconsid- 
erate ;  that  she  could  not  wantonly  have  singled  me  out  for  the 
disapproving  notice  of  those  present.  However  this  might  be, 
I  'was  the  target  for  a  battery  of  eyes  —  some  inquiring,  others 
suspicious,  others  displeased,  although  their  owners  withheld 
verbal  comment.  Not  that  I  am  ashamed  of  my  principles. 
If  need  were,  I  believe  I  could  die  for  the  Old  Flag.  Next  to 
my  God  and  my  betrothed,  I  love  the  land  which  God  gave  to 
my  fathers,  and  the  banner  which  symbolizes  that  country. 
But  a  weak,  powerless  girl,  I  can  only  pray  for  the  restoration 
of  peace  and  union  to  all  her  borders.  Agatha  intimated  to 
me,  once,  that  patriotism  was  but  another  name,  with  me,  for 
the  love  I  bear  Harry.     She  is  a  close  observer  and  a  shrewd 


SUNNYBANK.  171 

analyst  of  character  ;  but  I  think  she  judges  wrongly  here.  I 
did  feel  embarrassed,  then,  at  the  general  notice  fixed  upon  me 
by  her  remark.  Before  I  could  summon  words  to  my  relief, 
Rolf  had  taken  up  the  matter. 

"  Even  those  who  once  lauded  the  production  are  tired  of 
it  now  —  nauseated  as  people  usually  are  with  false  promises. 
It  was  very  .fine  to  sing,  — 

'  See !  slie  spurns  the  northern  scum. 

She  lives  I  she  breathes !  she  burns  !  she'll  come  ! ' 

But  when  we  recollect  that  she  didn't  '  come,'  or  show  the  least 
inclination  to  do  so,  the  whole  affair  is  too  ridiculous  to  be  pop- 
ular. Major !  will  you  not  give  us  the  new  song,  with  which 
you  favored  us  at  Colonel  Raymond's  in  Richmond  — that  one 
about  the  solitary  picket  ?  " 

The  Major  complied  without  demur,  falling  willingly  into 
Rolfs  plan  of  changing  the  subject.  He  sang  the  ballad  well 
and  feelingly.  The  music  was  simple,  even  commonplace,  but 
the  words  had  a  power  of  pathetic  description  that  touched 
every  heart.  At  my  request,  the  singer  wrote  them  down  for 
me  after  he  arose  from  the  instrument.  I  insert  the  leaf  here 
as  he  gave  it  to  me,  partly  because  of  the  poetic  worth  of  the 
song,  partly  as  a  memorial  of  this  eventful  night. 

" '  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night ! » 

Except  here  and  there  a  stray  picket 
Is  shot,  as  he  walks  on  his  beat  to  and  fro, 

By  a  rifleman  hid  in  the  thicket. 
'Tis  nothing-  — a  private  or  two,  now  and  then, 

Will  not  count  in  the  news  of  the  battle; 
Not  an  officer  lost  —  only  one  of  the  men 

Moaning  out,  all  alone,  the  death  rattle. 

"  '  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night ! ' 

Wliere  the  soldiers  lie  peacefully  dreaming. 
And  their  tents,  in  the  rays  of  the  clear  autumn  moon, 

And  the  light  of  the  camp-fires  are  gleaming. 
A  tremulous  sigh,  as  the  gentle  night  wind 

Through  the  forest  leaves  slowly  is  creeping; 
While  the  stars  up  above,  with  their  glittering  eyes. 

Keep  guard  o'er  the  army  while  sleeping. 


172  SUNNYBANK. 

"  There  is  only  the  sound  of  the  lone  sentry's  tread. 

As  he  tramps  from  the  rock  to  the  fountain, 
And  he  thinks  of  the  two  in  the  low  trundle-bed 

Far  away  in  the  cot  on  the  mountain. 
His  musket  falls  slack  —  his  face,  dark  and  grim, 

Grows  gentle  with  memories  tender. 
As  he  utters  a  prayer  for  the  children  asleep. 

And  their  mother  — '  May  Heaven  defend  her ! » 

"  Then,  drawing  his  sleeve  roughly  over  his  eyes, 
He  dashes  the  tears  that  are  welling. 
And  gathers  his  gun  close  up  to  his  breast 
As  if  to  keep  down  the  heart's  swelling. 
He  passes  the  fountain,  the  blasted  pine-tree, 

And  his  footstep  is  lagging  and  weary, 
Yet  onward  he  goes  through  the  broad  belt  of  light 
Toward  the  shades  of  the  forest  so  dreary. 

"  Hark !  was  it  the  night  wind  that  rustled  the  leaves  ? 

Was  it  the  moonlight  so  wondrously  flashing  ? 
It  looked  like  a  rifle  !  '  Ha !  Mary,  good  by  ! ' 

And  his  life-blood  is  ebbing  and  plashing. 
♦  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night ! ' 

No  sound  save  the  rush  of  the  river, 
TThile  soft  falls  the  dew  on  the  face  of  the  dead ; 

The  picket's  off  duty  forever  !  "  * 

"  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night,"  hummed  Ross,  leav- 
ing the  Major  and  myself  at  the  writing-table,  and  sauntering 
over  to  Lynn's  sofa.  "  Human  life  is  so  cheap  in  this  market 
that  a  '  private  or  two,'  or  even  a  score  of  privates,  make  up  a 
sorry  return  to  the  War  Department." 

"  Yet  they  do  the  fighting  !  "  I  could  not  help  saying.  "  And 
their  mothers,  sisters,  and  wives  mourn  them  long  and  sincerely 
as  if  their  shoulders  were  bestrapped  and  sleeves  were  embroi- 
dered. If  your  fighting  machines  were  heartless  and  soulless,  it 
would  be  of  less  consequence  how  soon  they  were  knocked  to 
pieces." 

The  words  were  still  on  my  lips  when  a  single  musket-shot 
split  the  air  to  the  north.  A  volley  followed,  and  then  a  hub- 
bub of  yells,  cheers,  and  shouted  orders  made  a  Pandemonium 
of  the  nisrht.  There  was  a  simultaneous  rush  of  the  officers  to 
the  door.  By  the  time  I  reached  the  hall,  I  could  distinguish 
Major  Hart's  voice  as  he  rallied  the  troops   to   sustain   the 

*  Words  by  Ethel  Lynn  Beers. 


SUNNYBANK.  173 

attack.  Through  the  door  I  had  a  glimpse  of  a  confused  mass 
of  men,  —  some  mounted,  some  on  foot,  —  and  of  horses  plun- 
ging wildly  about  the  field  —  all  seen  by  the  red  flash  of  the  mus- 
ketry. Then,  Rolf  caught  me  about  the  waist,  and  drawing 
me  back  into  the  shelter  of  the  wall,  sprang  through  the  door- 
way, closed  it  as  he  went,  and  was  gone  to  join  the  combatants. 

Lynn  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  parlor  floor,  struggling  vainly 
to  unbind  Agatha's  arms  from  his  own. 

"  Help  me,  Elinor  !  "  she  cried.  "  He  is  mad  !  He  is  not 
fit  to  go." 

He  felt  it  now,  as  he  reeled  in  the  faintness  of  reaction  after 
the  transient  frenzy.  Together  we  bore  him  to  the  sofa,  and 
kneeling,  one  on  each  side  of  him,  listened  to  the  rain  —  I  can 
call  it  nothing  else  —  of  the  bullets  against  the  wall.  In  two 
minutes  the  carpet  was  strewn  with  broken  glass,  "^e  were 
untouched  ;  but  the  sharp  rebound  of  the  leaden  missiles  from 
the  bricks  upon  the  piazza  floor  kept  us  in  mind  of  the  possi- 
bility that  this  security  might  be  of  short  duration.  It  would 
have  been  sheer  desperation  to  attempt  a  change  of  position. 
Agonizing  fears  for  Papa  and  Mamma's  safety  racked  my  soul, 
but  I  could  not  seek  them.  I  was  thankful  to  think  that  my 
little  sister's  bedroom  was  at  the  back  of  the  house,  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  deadly  balls.  But  over  all  other  thoughts,  exceed- 
ing every  other  anxiety,  was  the  one  idea  that  my  beloved 
brother  was  a  participant  in  the  afiray,  and  perhaps  himself 
the  messenger  of  death  to  others.  If  I  never  prayed  earnestly 
before,  I  did  then,  although  my  lips  were  dumb  —  my  heart 
swooning  with  mortal  dread. 

The  tumult  without  grew  less  loud,  the  combatants  appar- 
ently receding  from  the  house.  Then  the  firing  became  irregu- 
lar, and  each  discharge  fainter  than  the  preceding. 

"  They  are  retreating ! "  said  Lynn,  who  had  arisen  to  his 
elbow  to  listen.     "  We  have  beaten  them  ofi*!  " 

"  Thank  Heaven  !  "  ejaculated  Agatha.  "  But  I  felt  from 
the  first  that  it  would  be  so." 

Lynn  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips.     "  My  brave  girl  I  " 
15* 


174  SUNNYBANK. 

I  stole  away,  unnoticed.  Papa  and  Mamma  were  in  the 
dining-room,  unterrified  and  self-possessed,  trying  to  reassure  a 
crowd  of  frightened  ser%''ants,  who  pressed  about  them,  some 
kneeling,  some  actually  prostrate  upon  the  floor  and  clinging 
to  their  mistress'  feet  and  dress  ;  many  sobbing  and  praying  in 
audible  snatches  ;  a  few  —  and  among  these  were  Uncle  Will 
and  Mammy  —  emulating  the  calmness  of  their  owners,  and 
urging  the  rest  to  be  composed.  One  glance  showed  me  this 
scene,  and  I  ran  up  to  Carrie's  chamber.  A  candle  burned 
upon  the  table,  and  there  was  the  imprint  of  another  head  than 
the  child's  upon  the  pillow.  I  understood,  immediately,  that 
the  mother  had  knelt  beside  her  latest  born,  while  the  deadly 
hail  was  falliag  around  her  manly  boy  ;  besought  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Father  for  his  precious  life,  as  I  had  done  in  my 
unuttered  prayer.  Carrie  slumbered  soundly.  In  her  inno- 
cent dreams,  the  din  of  battle,  that  seemed  to  me  loud  enough 
to  rouse  the  dead,  had  no  place.  Her  sunny  curls  were  put 
away  from  her  brow  —  I  guessed  by  whose  hand,  and  whose 
fond  lips  had  been  pressed  to  her  cheek,  before  mine  touched 
it,  and  my  tearful  blessing  was  whispered  above  her. 

Ross  met  me  upon  the  stairs,  on  my  return  to  the  lower 
floor. 

"  Here  you  are ! "  he  cried,  catching  me  in  his  arms,  and 
kissing  me.  "  And  here  are  we  all !  safe  and  sound,  and  the 
Yankees  scampering  away  like  scared  sheep.     Hurrah  !  " 

His  cheer  was  echoed  lustily  from  below.  The  parlor  door 
was  open,  and  there  was  passing  to  and  fro  in  the  hall  and 
porches. 

"  All !  "  I  repeated.     "  Was  no  one  hurt? '' 

"  On  our  side,  nobody  seriously,  I  believe.  There  are  a  few 
scratches,  and  the  surgeon  is  looking  after  them  now  —  but, 
see  here  !  I  felt  the  wind  of  the  shot  that  did  this  !  " 

A  ball  had  torn  through  the  collar  of  his  coat,  and  passed  on 
without  so  much  as  grazing  his  neck.  He  laughed  at  my  shud- 
der, and  gave  me  another  kiss,  "  to  bring  back  the  color  to  my 
lips,"  he  said. 


SUNNYBANK.  175 

"  Why,  who  would  have  thoaght  that  you  were  such  a  cow- 
ard ?  A  miss  like  this  is  better  than  a  mile.  There  is  a  spice 
of  excitement  in  it  that  warms  one's  blood." 

We  were  upon  the  bottom  stair,  when  Rolf  Kingston  entered 
hastily  from  the  front  porch. 

"  Miss  Elinor !  you  had  better  not  stay  here  !  There  is  a 
wounded  man  out  there,  who,  your  father  insists,  shall  be 
brought  into  the  house  and  cared  for." 

"  Who  is  it?  "  asked  Ross,  anxiously. 

"  Only  a  Yankee,  and  a  private  at  that !  "  returned  a  Lieu- 
tenant, who  had  followed  Rolf.  "  He  would  do  well  enough 
out  of  doors.     He  deserves  nothing  less  than  he  got.'* 

Agitated  as  I  was,  I  had  nearly  spoken  the  words  that  arose 

in  my  mind,  — 

•*  Not  an  ofl5cer  lost  —  only  one  of  the  men, 
Moaning  out  all  alone  the  death  rattle  !  " 

"  Elinor  !  "  I  had  not  seen  Mamma  until  now,  but  she  was 
standing  at  my  side.  "  I  want  you  !  "  she  said,  in  quiet  com- 
mand. "Gentlemen!  may  I  trouble  you  to  let  me  pass?  My 
son,  will  you  invite  your  friends  into  the  parlor?  " 

This  was  all  she  said,  as  she  trode  on,  with  her  stately  step, 
up  the  staircase ;  but  Ross  looked  embarrassed,  and  the  others, 
within  hearing,  abashed,  at  the  dignified  rebuke  conveyed  in 
her  tone  and  expression.  I  went  with  her  to  her  room.  It 
was  warm,  and  bright,  and  delightful,  with  that  nameless  air  of 
elegant  comfort  she  contrives  to  impart  'to  all  her  surround- 
ings. 

"  I  wish  you  could  help  me  arrange  this  bed  for  that  poor 
young  man,"  she  said.  "  You  can  sleep  with  Carrie  to-night, 
and  give  us  your  room." 

We  wasted  no  time  in  talking ;  but  rapidly  as  we  worked, 
the  heavy  tramp  of  the  bearers  of  the  wounded  private  was 
upon  the  threshold,  as  we  drew  the  folded  sheet  over  the  oil- 
cloth covering  the  mattress. 

Mamma  looked  tenderly  into  my  eyes. 

"  You  can  go,  love  !     Thank  you  !  " 


176  SUNNYBANK. 

"  I  had  rather  stay,  if  I  can  be  of  any  use,"  I  replied. 

She  said  "  Thank  you  I  "  again,  and  directed  me  to  look 
in  a  certain  closet  for  a  roll  of  old  linen  fpr  bandages.  When 
I  reentered  the  room,  the  bearers  had  laid  their  burden  upon 
the  bed,  and  the  surgeon  was  bending  over  him. 

"  He  has  only  fainted  from  pain,  or  loss  of  blood,"  he  pro- 
nounced.    "  Have  you  cologne  or  hartshorn  in  the  house?  " 

Both  were  at  hand,  and  as  I  passed  them  to  Mamma,  I 
caught  sight  of  the  poor  fellow's  face.  He  was  ghastly  pale. 
But  for  the  surgeon's  assertion,  I  should  have  believed  him 
already  dead.  He  was  a  mere  stripling  —  not  more  than 
twenty,  I  should  say,  with  delicate,  handsome  features,  bronzed 
complexion,  and  a  slight  mustache,  shading  a  mouth  that 
would  have  been  girlishly  beautiful  but  for  this  mainly  orna- 
ment. Private  or  officer,  he  looked  the  gentleman ;  and  in 
bathing  his  hands  and  wrists  with  cologne,  I  observed  that  they 
were  well  shaped  —  not  the  coarse  members  of  one  used  to 
manual  toil. 

He  revived  with  a  groan,  and  looked  wildly  around  in  bewil- 
derment he  was  too  faint  to  express.  Mamma's  gentle  voice 
reassured  him. 

"  You  are  among  friends.     Do  not  be  alarmed  !  " 

"  Friends  !  " 

His  eye  turned  doubtingly  to  the  gray-coated  surgeon,  whose 
fingers  were  upon  his  pulse.     The  doctor  smiled  grimly. 

"  You  see  he  recollects  how  he  came  to  be  my  patient, 
Madam.  Having  some  remnants  of  humanity  left  in  me,  young 
man,  I  will  do  my  best  for  you." 

Mamma  motioned  to  me  to  leave  the  room  as  the  surgeon 
commenced  his  examination  of  the  wounds.  I  had  no  heart 
for  the  renewed  hilarity  of  the  company  down  stairs.  Their 
bursts  of  laughter  and  animated  voices  ascended  to  me  through 
the  flooring,  as  I  sat  by  the  fire  in  my  chamber,  and  mused 
upon  the  events  of  the  past  half-dozen  hours.  A  new  and  ter- 
rible era  had  come  to  our  quiet  country  home.  Violence  and 
bloodshed  had  desecrated  the  fair  domain.     Who  could  foretell 


SUNNYBANK.  177 

the  end  of  the  chapter  thus  begun  ?  Up  to  last  night,  we  have 
seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  environed,  as  we  have  been,  by 
robbery,  arson,  and  battles.  My  father's  high  character  has 
been  our  security  with  both  parties.  The  passing  Federal 
bands  have  invariably  treated  him  with  respectful  courtesy, 
while  my  brother's  decided  partisanship  of  the  other  side  of  the 
political  question  has  been  an  additional  guarantee  to  us 
against  injury  and  insult  at  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  But 
Sunnybank  is  no  longer  neutral  ground.  I  acknowledged  the 
fact-  with  a  chill  horror  I  cannot  explain  or  account  for ;  a 
sense  of  helpless  loneliness,  that  drove  me  to  my  knees.  I 
remembered  Him  whose  are  the  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness. 
A  crisis  in  our  destinies  might  be  very  near  us.  It  was  for 
Him  to  avert  disaster,  and  to  impart  His  strength  to  those  whose 
wall  of  safety  had  been  blown  down  by  the  fierce  blasts  of  war. 
Soothed,  and  almost  hopeful,  I  was  still  dreaming  over  the 
embers,  when  Mamma  came  in. 

"  My  child  !  are  you  up  still?     It  is  two  o'clock !  " 

"  I  could  not  sleep.  Mamma,  if  I  were  to  go  to  bed.  How 
is  the  poor  wounded  soldier  ?  " 

*'  His  case  is  a  very  critical  one.  The  doctor  thinks  his 
wound  is  mortal.  His  wounds,  rather  —  for  his  right  arm  is 
shattered  by  a  bullet,  in  addition  to  the  more  serious  injury  in 
the  region  of  the  lungs.  Poor  boy  !  he  bore  the  probe  bravely, 
and  he  is  so  grateful  for  our  attentions,  that  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
wait  upon  him.  Papa  and  Rolf  Kingston  are  with  him  now. 
The  surgeon  has  gone  to  his  room." 

She  had  sunk  into  an  easy  chair,  as  if  worn  out  by  fatigue. 

"  Mamma  !  "  I  said,  uneasily,  "  you  are  wearied  out.  Let 
me  help  undress  you  ;  and  lie  down  upon  my  bed." 

But  when  I  approached  her,  she  threw  her  arms  about  my 
neck,  and  cried  out,  in  a  passion  of  tears,  "  Oh,  my  darling ! 
but  for  the  great  mercy  of  the  Lord,  this  might  have  been  my 
boy,  wounded  and  dying  among  strangers !  God  help  and 
comfort  his  poor  mother." 

Everything  is  still  in  and  about  the  house  on  this  afternoon, 


178  SUNNYBANK. 

as  if  the  alarm  of  the  past  night  had  been  an  ugly  dream. 
Major  Hart  and  his  troops  were  in  the  saddle  by  sunrise.  Koss 
and  Captain  Kingston  left  us  after  breakfast.  Before  going, 
they  paid  a  visit  to  the  sick  prisoner  —  for  prisoner  he  is,  my 
father  having  given  his  promise  that  he  shall  not  escape.  It  is 
a  mere  form  of  military  speech  —  this  pledge  ;  for  there  is  but 
one  mode  of  escape  from  the  chamber  where  he  lies,  and  that 
will  probably  be  opened  to  him  before  many  days  have  gone 
by.  He  was  awake  and  sensible  when  the  two  Confederate 
officers  entered.  But  his  eye  glittered  with  fever,  and  his  hand 
trembled  as  my  brother  took  it  kindly  within  his  own.  Warmly 
as  he  resented  the  attack  of  the  Federal  party  upon  his  house, 
and  bitter  as  is  the  animosity  he  professes  to  feel  for  all  who 
wear  the  National  uniform,  there  was  no  room  for  ungenerous 
enmity  in  Ross'  heart,  as  he  saw  the  pitiable  plight  of  the  sufferer. 

*'  We  met  as  enemies  —  let  us  part  friends  I  "  he  said  ear- 
nestly. "  I  am  glad  you  have  my  mother  to  take  care  of  you. 
There  is  not  another  nurse  like  her  in  the  world." 

The  bronzed  cheek  of  the  youth  was  flushed  yet  more  deeply 
than  the  fever  had  stained  it,  as  he  thanked  him. 

"  And  should  you  ever  be  in  my  condition,  —  a  stranger  and 
wounded,  —  which  Heaven  forbid  !  do  not  fail  to  WTite  to  'niy 
mother,  and  tell  her  where  and  how  you  left  me.  She  will 
never  forget  the  kindness  showed  to  her  only  son." 

Ross'  eyes  were  not  the  only  ones  in  which  there  were  tears, 
as  this  was  spoken.  There  was  a  refinement  of  feeling  and 
language,  and  a  wondrous  pathos  in  look  and  tone,  that  beto- 
kened no  mediocre  heart  and  mind.  He  dictated  an  address, 
which  Ross  wrote  down  on  his  tablets  —  "Mrs.  Ruth  Dubois, 
Westfield, County,  New  York." 

"  I  wish  I  could  write  it  myself,  but " 

A  glance  at  his  crippled  arm  said  the  rest. 

The  young  officers  bade  him  a  cordial  farewell,  mingled  with 
wishes  —  they  could  not  say  hopes  —  for  his  recovery,  and  they 
parted.  Strangers  and  foes  but  yesterday  —  friends  to-day, 
yet  to  be  strangers  still  forevermore  ! 


SUNNYBANK.  179 

But  for  the  trampled  lawn  and  the  remains  of  last  evening's 
bivouac  in  the  adjacent  fields,  the  scene  from  my  window  is  the 
same  I  looked  upon  twenty-four  hours  ago.  The  weather  has 
changed,  however.  The  December  clouds,  low  and  leaden, 
have  shut  closely  down  upon  the  hills ;  the  smoke  from  the 
servants'  quarters  struggles  upward,  and  falls  heavily  to  the 
ground.  The  river  is  muddy  and  sullen  ;  I  hear  a  sound  like 
the  breaking  of  far-off  surf  upon  a  rocky  beach,  which  is  the 
moan  of  the  rising  wind  through  the  pine-tops.  There  will  be 
a  storm  before  morning.  Agatha  is  with  Lynn.  Papa  is 
abroad  upon  the  plantation.  Fences  were  thrown  down,  and 
gates  torn  from  their  hinges,  during  the  late  skirmish.  The 
carpenters  have  been  busy,  all  day,  in  repairing  the  damage 
done  to  windows  and  palings.  I  have  prevailed  upon  Mamma 
to  prepare  herself  for  her  second  vigil,  by  a  long  nap,  and  I 
have  taken  her  place  in  Mr.  Dubois'  room.  My  task  has  been 
an  easy  one.  For  three  hours  he  has  slept  heavily.  The  sur- 
geon prophesied  this,  and  said  it  would  be  an  unfavorable  sign. 
From  my  inmost  soul  I  repeat  Mamma's  prayer,  — 

"  God  help  and  comfort  his  poor  mother  !  " 


180  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

AGATHA. 

January  7,  1863. 

We  have  had  stirring  times  here  for  three  weeks  past.  In- 
cident the  first  was  the  arrival  of  my  gallant  knight  and  liege 
lord  with  a  bullet-hole  in  his  shoulder  —  the  unhandsome  keep- 
sake of  a  Yankee  sharpshooter.  I  was  pining  for  the  lack  of 
excitement,  and  this  event  had  a  touch  of  the  tragic  about  it 
that  recommended  it  to  my  mental  palate.  I  was  born  with  a 
love  for  the  sensational,  and  since  then  have  developed  a  genius 
for  the  dramatic  that  tells  me  what  a  grand  actress  was  spoiled 
when  I  took  to  very  private  life  and  toad-eating. 

I  have  been  upon  double  rations  of  this  edible  of  late  ;  have 
eaten  humble-pie  with  manifest  relish  and  incomparable  grace. 
Because?  For  the  simple  and  sufficient  reason,  that  I  was 
moved  to  the  consumption  of  this  unpopular  species  of  food  by 
a  combination  of  motives,  all  of  them  powerful.  Primarily,  I 
was  determined  to  disarm  Prejudice,  in  the  guise  of  my  august 
Mamma  and  right-worshipful  Papa-in-law-that-wouldn't-be-if- 
they-could-help-themselves.  It  is  politic  to  shut  my  eyes  to  the 
circumstance,  that  they  are  not  enchanted  at  the  prospect  of  my 
union  with  the  lesser  of  the  twin  scions  of  their  house.  Since 
the  announcement  of  my  engagement,  they  have  treated  me 
with  a  scrupulosity  of  attention  that  would  be  intensely  gratify- 
ing to  a  weak-minded  girl.  (And  an  immense  majority  of  the 
women  in  the  world,  old  and  young,  are  weak-minded.)  Not 
being  either  a  novice  or  a  simpleton,  I  have  been  amused,  in- 
stead of  delighted,  at  this  obedience  to  the  rules  prescribed  by 
the  "  Rubric  of  Etiquette"  —  "  To  be  used  in  times  of  Betrothal 


*  SUNNYBANK.  181 

in  the  Family."  Following  diligently  in  their  wake,  I  have 
comported  myself,  at  great  cost  of  patience  and  wear  and  tear 
of  nerves  and  temper,  like  an  amiable,  commonplace  young 
lady  whose  market  is  made,  and  "  from  this  date,  the  books  for 
proposals  at  this  office  are  closed." 

I  believe  I  have  mentioned  that  I  w^as  getting  tired  of  this 
part,  when  my  "  bowld  sojer  boy"  was  brought  home  with  an 
unseemly  wound  so  near  the  cavity  of  the  cRest  that  his  fond 
Mamma  has  not  yet  done  turning  pale  and  shuddering  when 
the  subject  is  discussed.  Pour  moi^  I  too  shivered  and  grew 
white  ;  but  for  all  that,  I  kept  my  wits  up  to  the  occasion  :  and 
when  Mamma-in-law  was  most  nearly  unnerved,  the  beauteous 
angel  of  Opportunity  beckoned  me  to  throw  myself  into  the 
breach.  I  craved  the  post  of  sub-nurse,  and  I  got  it ;  I  asked 
for  instructions  in  the  divine  art  of  healing,  and  these  my  Lady 
imparted  with  rare  condescension,  freely  applauding  my  poor 
imitations  of  her  acknowledged  skill.  Her  son,  dutifully  sec- 
onding these  plaudits,  had,  at  length,  the  bad  taste  to  prefer  my 
ministrations  to  the  maternal  offices.  Little  by  little,  I  wormed 
myself —  apparently  pushed  by  him,  and  hoisted  by  circum- 
stances —  into  her  place  ;  until,  when  he  was  declared  able  to 
descend  to  the  parlor,  to  be  petted,  entertained,  and  made  much 
of  generally,  mine  was  the  post  nearest  to,  and  most  constantly 
at  his  side.  If  Mamma  superintended  the  cooking  of  his 
meals,  —  a  business  for  which  I  have  no  vocation,  —  and  set 
out  her  delicacies,  in  ravishing  array,  upon  the  invalid's  tray, 
it  was  I  who  hovered  about  these,  like  a  humming-bird  over  a 
flower-garden,  and  buzzed  musical  praises  of  Mamma's  talents 
as  a  cateress,  and  honeyed  entreaties  that  he  would  make  me 
happy  by  tasting  her  jellies,  supping  her  soups,  and  devouring 
her  cakes.  He  ate  moderately  well,  I  may  observe,  en  passant, 
for  a  man  in  love,  and  with  a  lame  arm.  The  repast  finished, 
Mamma  might  retire  to  the  background :  I,  and  no  one  else, 
must  read,  play,  and  talk  to  him.  All  this  came  about  gradu- 
ally, and  by  the  natural  gravitation  of  events,  and  created  no 
16 


182  SUNNYBANK. 

symptom    of    envy   or   other   uncomfortable    emotions   in   the 
demeanor  of  ray  patrons  and  their  daughter. 

Lynn  had  been  domesticated  here  for  ten  days,  or  there- 
abouts, when  Captain  Ross  Lacy  and  his  now  devoted  mess- 
mate. Captain  Kingston,  joined  our  family  group,  upon  furlough. 
The  former,  whose  Secession  principles  at  the  outset  of  the  war 
were  decidedly  quasi,  has  bloomed  into  a  full-blown  pink  of 
southern  chivalry — hates  the  Yankees,  and  abjures  all  their 
works  as  heartily  as  if  his  whilom  Damon  did  not  belong  to 
the  accursed  race.  Meanwhile,  my  particular  friend,  Captain 
Kingston,  "draws"  his  patriotism,  as  the  Cockneys  have  it, 
"  uncommon  mild."  There  is  no  longer  a  question  in  the  mind 
of  every  intelligent  Southerner  as  to  the  truth  of  the  theory, 
that  His  Satanic  Majesty  had  his  birthplace  north  of  Mason 
and  Dixon's  Line,  and  that  he  holds  now  his  highest  court  in 
the  city  of  Washington.  But  so  benevolent  and  catholic  has 
become  the  spirit  of  this  ci-devant  fire-eater,  —  I  allude  to  Cap- 
tain Kingston,  not  to  His  Majesty, —  that,  should  this  crov/ned 
imp  of  darkness,  or,  to  go  a  step  further,  should  Abraham 
Lincoln  himself,  appear,  uninvited,  in  the  presence  of  the  brave 
officer,  when  his  Dulcinea  was  looking  on,  he  would  receive 
him  as  a  man  and  a  brother,  whose  frightful  lapse  in  political 
faith  could  not  destroy  his  (Captain  Kingston's)  confidence  in 
his  moral  worth  and  signal  abilities.  The  stratagem  is  a  capi- 
tal one,  —  worthy,  let  me  say  in  all  modesty,  of  the  brain  of 
her  who  suggested  the  love-lorn  warrior's  adoption  of  it.  I* 
have  well-nigh  sufibcated  several  times  with  secret  laughter  at 
overhearing  the  grave  and  temperate  discussions  held  upon  the 
other  side  of  the  room,  while  I  appeared  to  be  engrossed,  ears 
and  thoughts,  by  my  interesting  convalescent.  Miss  Elinor  no 
longer  avoided  war-talk  and  political  theories.  There  were  pal- 
pable satisfaction  and  agreeable  disappointment  in  her  manner 
and  address  at  hearing  the  Captain's  sensible  and  conservative 
discourse.  She  was  flattered  and  touched  by  his  delicate  defer- 
ence to  her  opinions,  his  humoring  and  almost  sympathizing 
with  her  heretical  views,  —  respect  and  sympathy  thrown  into 


SUNNYBANK.  183 

bold  relief  by  Ross'  outspoken  denunciations  of  the  enemy  and 
their  style  of  warfare. 

The  unanimous  verdict  of  the  household  is  now,  "  How  Rolf 
Kingston  has  changed  for  the  better !  "  Ross  openly  declares 
him  to  be  "  one  of  the  finest  fellows  alive  ; "  and  Elinor  says, 
with  engaging  frankness,  "  I  did  not  imagine  once  that  I  could 
ever  like  and  esteem  him  as  I  do.  Military  life  has  brought 
out  all  that  is  estimable  and  manly  in  him." 

The  consummate  ninny !  Yet  she  reads  her  Bible,  and 
ought  to  know  that  it  is  not  an  every-day,  or  every-century 
occurrence  for  the  leopard  to  renounce  his  spotted  hide  in  favor 
of  the  innocent  sheep's  wool.  Nevertheless,  I  agree  with  her 
in  saying,  that  he  has  displayed  more  manliness  in  speech  and 
action  than  I  thought  was  in  him.  He  is  playing  for  a  high 
stake,  according  to  his  valuation  of  it,  and  the  importance  of 
the  game  has  sobered  him  into  a  semblance  of  lofty  respecta- 
bility. He  deserves  to  succeed ;  and  I  begin  to  discern  a  dim 
probability  that  he  may,  if  he  has  tact  and  perseverance,  and,  by 
and  by,  a  vigorous  dash  of —  I  was  about  to  say  deviltry,  but 
it  isn't  a  ladylike  word :  I  offer,  as  an  imperfect  substitute, 
unprincipled  hardihood. 

Enough  of  this.  I  must  learn  to  tame  my  speech  before  I 
turn  respectable  in  the  character  of  Mrs.  Lynn  Holmes  Lacy 
of  Hayridge.  This  is  the  not  over-euphonious  appellation  of 
my  betrothed's  inherited  estate.  This  brings  me  to  treat,  in  due 
course,  of  the  main-spring  of  my  ultra-wifely  devotion  to  this 
gentleman  during  his  confinement  within  his  patrimonial  halls. 
Human  life  is  so  uncertain  that  one  becomes  stupidly  and  tritely 
axiomatic  in  alluding  to  the  dubiousness  and  brevity  of  what  is 
commonly  accounted  as  precious  beyond  gold  and  diamonds  ; 
but  a  soldier's  life  is  so  unsafe  that  he  might  about  as  well 
have  none  at  all,  so  far  as  society  at  large  rears  any  calculations 
upon  its  durability.  And  if  our  matrimonial  compact  is  "bind- 
ing and  sacred  as  marriage,"  —  I  quote  my  fiance,  —  the  law  is 
so  outrageously  practical,  so  incorrigibly  unsentimental,  as  to 
set  aside  this  indissoluble  union  with  a  contemptuous  whiff  that 


181  SUNNYBANK. 

demolishes  alr-castles,  and  puts  to  flight  lovers*  dreams  of  solid 
profit  to  be  derived  from  verbal  contracts,  sworn  to  under  "  the 
sweet,  silver  light  of  the  moon,"  and  sealed  by  kisses  of  Cupid's 
most  approved  manufacture.  I  omit  a  detailed  account  of  the 
gently  persuasive  measures  by  which  I  induced  my  amorous 
swain  to  view  the  subject  in  a  right  aspect ;  by  what  process  of 
moral  induction  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion,  that,  if  I  were  in 
truth  his  by  every  law  of  honor  and  affection,  it  was  his  duty  to 
provide  for  me  in  the  event  of  his  untimely  decease,  as  he 
would  have  done  had  I  been  his  wife  in  name.  I  never  put 
forward  so  much  as  a  hint  of  the  advisability  of  this  arrange- 
ment. The  wound  that  had  instigated  him  to  serious  medita- 
tions upon  his  mortality  had  also  its  lesson  for  me.  It  had 
showed  me  how  dear  he  was  to  me,  and  in  a  vague,  dim,  awful 
way  impressed  me  with  the  thought  of  what  would  be  my  deso- 
lation were  he  to  return  no  more  to  me.  I  said  only  this, 
seasoned  with  obstinate  tears  that  would  gush  between  my 
struggling  eyelids,  and  punctuated  by  tender  sighs.  This  done, 
I  left  the  leaven  to  work. 

He  was  pronounced  well  enough  to  leave  us  yesterday.  The 
previous  evening  we  were  together,  at  twilight,  in  the  parlor ; 
he  reclining  in  his  accustomed  attitude  upon  the  sofa,  I  upon 
,the  hassock  beside  him.  His  head  rested  upon  my  shoulder ; 
his  hand  held  mine.  He  is  a  lovable  boy,  and  I  mind  petting 
him  less  than  I  should  any  other  man  whom  I  had  pledged  my- 
self to  marry  without  having  one  atom  of  such  attachment  for 
him  as  a  woman  should  feel  for  her  husband. 

"  Agatha,  darling  !  "  he  said,  "  I  do  not  wish  to  sadden  you 
more  than  our  separation  must  in  itself  do  ;  but  there  is  one 
thing  I  must  say  to  you  before  I  leave  you.  I  may  never  come 
back,  dear.  The  next  bullet  may  do  its  work  more  thoroughly 
than  this  has  done." 

I  uttered  a  stifled  cry,  and  hid  my  face  among  the  clustering 
locks  I  had  been  threading  with  my  fingers. 

"  My  poor  girl !  you  would  mourn  me,  I  know."  His  voice 
shook      *'  But  will  you  try  and  hear  me  through,  sweet?  " 


SUNNYBANK.  185 

Would  I  ?  Say,  rather,  what  would  have  tempted  me  to  miss 
a  word? 

"  Perhaps  you  are  not  aware,  dear,  that  I  have  property 
independent  of  my  father  —  a  bequest  from  an  eccentric  rela- 
tive, who  conceived  a  violent  fancy  for  me  when  I  was  a  boy, 
and  made  me  his  heir." 

*' That  was  unaccountable,  —  the  fancy,  I  mean,"  I  said, 
demurely. 

He  smiled,  and  continued  :  — 

"This  legacy,  consisting  of  the  plantation  of  Hayridge,  a 
dozen  servants,  and  a  few  thousands  in  money  and  stocks,  will 
be  yours,  should  you  outlive  me,  whether  we  are  married  or 
not." 

I  commenced  a  passionate  expostulation,  which  he  checked 
at  the  third  word. 

"It  is  but  just,  my  darling.  We  belong  each  to  the  other, 
and  whatever  is  mine  must  be  yours  also." 

"  But  your  parents,  your  brother  and  sisters,  —  theirs  is  the 
prior  claim." 

"  By  no  means.  They  are  already  amply  provided  for  ;  and 
if  this  were  not  the  case,  my  widow  should  still  be  thought  of 
first.  My  father  agrees  with  me  fully  upon  this  point.  At  my 
request,  he  drew  up  a  formal  will  this  morning,  which  was 
witnessed  by  my  mother  and  sister.  I  can  leave  you  with  a 
lighter  heart  since  this  has  been  attended  to.  It  is  not  a  mag- 
nificent bequest ;  but  you  will  accept  and  use  it,  in  the  event 
of  my  decease,  as  a  slight  testimonial  of  the  love  that  will 
outlive  death." 

I  am  ashamed  to  recall  the  weakness  in  the  cool,  cynical 
mood  that  holds  me  to-day  ;  but  real  tears  were  coursing  down 
my  face,  and  the  sob  that  broke  up  my  reply  cost  me  no  effort. 

"  Dear  Lynn,  I  am  not  worthy  of  this  devotion,  this  gen- 
erosity." 

"  Never  speak  of  generosity  in  connection  with  my  conduct 
toward  you,  my  own,  or  of  unworthiness  in  the  same  breath 
with  your  name.  You  are  a  pure-hearted,  noble  woman !  I 
16* 


186  SUNNYBANK. 

do  homage  to  you  as  to  a  queen,  while  I  cherish  the  hope,  as  I 
do  my  existence,  that  you  will  one  day  sit  down  at  my  fireside, 
my  household  angel,  my  wife  !  We  may  yet  be  very  happy  to- 
gether, beloved,  should  Heaven  spare  my  life." 

"  If  you  were  taken  from  me,  there  would  be  nothing  left 
worth  living  for,"  I  answered  brokenly,  and,  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  sincerely. 

Love  him  I  do  not ;  I  never  can :  but  there  is  refreshment 
in  his  earnestness  of  belief  and  emotion,  his  fervor  of  attach- 
ment for  me,  his  generous  impulses,  the  stainless  truth  of  his 
manhood.  I  am  not  good ;  and,  I  may  as  well  add  here,  I 
never  expect  to  be.  But  he  is  ;  and  he  is  the  one  person  upon 
the  habitable  globe  who  really  and  truly  loves  and  trusts  me. 
Elinor  had  something  of  this  feeling  once ;  but,  since  Harry 
Wilton's  departure,  the  gulf  between  us  has  been  steadily 
widening.  I  cannot  always  be  mistress  of  my  accents  and 
looks,  however  I  may  watch  my  words  ;  and  when  she  has 
aggravated  me  up  to  the  pitch  where  partial  expression  of  my 
eentiments  is  necessary,  if  I  would  not  expire  of  bottled  spite, 
I  have  seen  her  great  eyes  fixed  upon  me  with  a  solemn  stare 
that  signified  suspicion  ;  of  what,  I  cannot  exactly  affirm.  I 
imagine,  however,  of  my  sanity.  I  ask  myself  sometimes, 
*'  Can  it  be  that  Wilton  deemed  it  his  duty  to  put  her  on  her 
guard  by  an  account  of  the  last  interview  he  had  with  me  ?  " 
True,  he  promised  to  keep  my  secret ;  but,  pshaw !  what  is  the 
value  of  a  man's  promise?  Elinor  did  care  for  me  formerly, 
and  for  some  reason  she  would  have  me  credit  the  profession  of 
her  continued  affection  for  me,  —  which  I  don't.  I  had  rather 
she  disliked  me,  as  I  do  her. 

Au  reste,  that  is,  the  rest  of  the  people  in  my  small  world,  I 
may  chant  the  roundelay  of  the  celebrated  Miller  of  Dee :  — 

"  I  care  for  nobody  —  no,  not  I ! 
And  nobody  cares  for  me,"  — 

excepting  this  foolishly-fond  boy.  Thus  it  is  plain,  that,  in 
one  sense,  I  spoke  the  truth  when  I  said  that  if  I  were  robbed 
of  his  love,  I  should  lose  everything. 


SUNNYBANK.  187 

I  am  tired  of  sketching  love  scenes.  They  are  very  tedious 
in  their  enactment ;  that  is,  when  all  the  love  is  upon  one  side, 
and  on  the  other  there  is  shallow  mockery  ;  and  I  find  writino- 
about  them  stupid  work.  It  engenders  uncomfortable  reflec- 
tions ;  unfits  one  to  cope  with  realities ;  and  I  am  growing  to 
be  a  very  consistent  utilitarian. 

Money  is  useful  —  jpar  exemple -— and  so  are  houses  and 
lands,  and  so  were  the  sable  sons  and  daughters  of  Virginia 
soil  before  the  promulgation  of  the  Proclamation  which  the 
paper  of  to-day  describes,  as  the  "  most  startling  crime,  the 
most  stupid  political  blunder  yet  known  in  American  history." 
I  coincide  with  that  editor's  views  thus  fulminated  ;  for  am  I 
not  a  slaveholder  in  prospective  ?  What  right  has  the  Federal 
Executive  to  meddle  with  my  property?'  Heretofore,  I  have 
not  espoused  the  cause  of  either  party,  to  my  private  self.  But 
now,  I  cast  in  my  lot  with  the  oppressed  South.  "  One  touch 
of  nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin,"  and  it  is  human  nature 
to  keep  a  bright  lookout  for  one's  worldly  wealth.  I  have  read 
"Vanity  Fair"  aloud  to  Lynn,  recently,  and  I  confess  to  gen- 
uine admiration  for  Becky  Sharp.  I  am  reminded,  just  here, 
of  her  soliloquy  at  beginning  her  governess-life. 

"  I  am  alone  in  the  world !  "  said  the  friendless  girl.  "  I 
have  nothing  to  look  for  but  what  my  own  labor  can  bring  me ; 
and  while  that  little  pink-faced  chit,  Amelia,  with  not  one  half 
my  sense,  has  ten  thousand  pounds  and  an  establishment  secure, 
poor  Rebecca  (and  my  figure  is  far  better  than  hers)  has  only 
herself  and  her  own  wits  to  trust  to.  I  must  be  my  own 
Mamma." 

If  Rebecca  were  a  flesh  and  blood  entity,  instead  of  a  very 
real-looking  paper  she,  she  would  reciprocate  my  complimentary 
opinion  of  herself,  when  she  should  learn  to  what  purpose 
I  have  played  the  managing  mamma  to  penniless  Agatha 
Lamar.  I  wonder  what  put  it  into  my  god-parents'  heads  to 
have  me  christened  "Agatha."  Lynn  is  never  weary  of  tell- 
ing me  that  it  means  "  good,"  in  the  original,  whatever  the 
original  is.     It  seems  to  me  he  said  it  was  taken  from  the 


188  SUNNYBANK. 

Greek.  As  I  remarked,  a  little  way  back,  I  am  not  a  bit  goocl, 
and  am  never  likely  to  be,  unless  I  were  to  become  very  rich 
and  very  happy.  To  cite  Rebecca  again  — ''  I  think  I  could  be 
a  good  woman  if  I  had  five  thousand  pounds  a  year ! " 

Next  in  importance  to  the  will-making,  among  the  events  of 
the  past  month,  I  place  the  night  attack  upon  Sunnybank,  that 
has  set  all  the  tongues  on  the  plantation  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood to  wagging.  A  party  of  Confederate  cavalry,  one  hun- 
dred in  number,  had  tethered  their  horses,  for  the  night,  upon 
the  grounds  in  front  of  the  house.  My  Lady  had  dealt  out  hot 
coffee  by  the  gallon,  and  corn-meal  hoe-cakes  by  the  peck,  to 
the  common  soldiers,  and  the  officers  —  a  set  of  gallant  gentle- 
men—  had  eaten  and  drunk  of  the  best  the  larder  could  offer, 
and  were  making  themselves  delightful  to  us  in  the  parlor,  when 
the  Yankees  undertook  a  reconnoissance  of  the  premises ;  bent, 
no  doubt,  on  quartering  themselves  upon  their  Union  compa- 
triot, and  were  fired  upon  by  the  pickets.  A  skirmish  ensued, 
in  which  Captains  Lacy  and  Kingston  lent  active  assistance, 
and  the  Yankees  were  beaten  off.  So  say  our  valorous  defend- 
ers. Rode  off  at  their  leisure  would,  I  dare  say,  be  as  correct, 
leaving  some  half-dozen  gray-coats  slightly  wounded  as  tokens 
of  their  friendly  intentions  toward  those  whom  they  must  have 
regarded  as  usurpers  of  their  suppers  and  beds,  and  one  of  their 
own  number,  badly  hurt,  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

"  "We  must  have  done  them  more  mischief  than  that !  "  said 
Major  Hart,  when  I  exclaimed,  "  One  wounded  private  !  '  Oh, 
lame  and  impotent  conclusion  ! '  " 

"  Of  course  !  "  chimed  in  Lieutenant  Grey.  "  But  they 
carried  off  their  killed  and  wounded  with  them  —  the  rascals  !  '* 

If  they  did,  —  and  Lieutenant  Grey  ought  to  know  better 
than  I  what  is  the  Yankee  custom  in  these  little  affairs  —  he 
being  a  soldier,  and  I  a  woman,  —  if  they  did,  I  am  exceedingly 
obliged  to  them  for  their  attention  to  our  comfort ;  for  the  one 
man  they  abandoned  to  our  tender  mercies  kept  everything  in 
a  ferment  until  death  relieved  him  of  bodily  pain,  and  me  of 
the  annoyance  of  hearing  him  talked  about.      The  Lacys  — 


,  SUNNYBANK.  189 

father,  mother,  and  daughter  tended  him  as  if  he  had  been  a 
prince  of  the  blood.  I  kept  clear  of  the  state  chamber  —  my 
Lady's  own  —  while  it  was  thus  tenanted,  my  excuse  being  the 
care  of  Lynn,  who  was  cast  into  the  shade  by  this  new  aspirant 
for  bandages  and  jellies.  According  to  the  hourly  bulletins 
issued  orally  by  the  trio  of  nurses,  the  sufferer  was  an  Adonis 
in  beauty,  a  Sir  Philip  Sidney  in  breeding,  a  triune  St.  Paul, 
St.  John,  and  Daniel  in  piety  and  resignation  —  babbling,  in 
his  delirium,  about  "  the  good  fight  that  he  had  fought,"  and 
quoting,  still  deliriously,  Warren's  hackneyed  saying,  that  it 
was  sweet  to  die  for  one's  country.  He  repeated  it  in  Latin, 
correctly,  said  Elinor  and  her  Papa,  who  were  mightily  moved 
by  these  ravings.  I  cannot  even  remember  the  English  of  it, 
which  proves  me  to  be  no  blue.  Elinor  played  scribe,  and 
took  down  from  his  lips  a  long  letter  to  his  mother,  which  will, 
I  suppose,  be  framed  in  black  wood,  and  hung  alongside  of  the 
old  woman's  school-girl  sampler  over  the  kitchen  mantel  of 
some  Connecticut  farm-house.  To  this  epistle  the  weeping 
amanuensis  appended  a  postscript,  on  her  own  account,  after  the 
demise  of  her  charge.  I  had  a  chance  of  reading  it,  as  I  shall 
state  presently,  and  it  was  a  gem  in  its  way.  The  Yankee 
private  was  interred  —  if  not  with  the  honors  of  war  —  yet 
with  the  stars  and  stripes  wrapped  over  his  bosom  —  a  home- 
made banner,  upon  which  Mamma  Lacy  and  Elinor  wrought 
secretly  the  night  after  his  death.  Lynn  was  not  invited  to 
look  at  the  corpse.  Nor  was  I,  for  that  matter ;  but  I  was 
prompted  by  natural  curiosity  to  interrogate  my  maid  as  to  the 
funeral  ceremonies,  and  was  informed  that  "  he  looked  like  a 
gin'ral  —  all  dressed  up  in  de  Union  flag." 

If  the  knowledge  that  her  son  drew  his  last  breath  upon  the 
bed  and  under  the  roof  of  an  F.  F.  V.,  and  that  his  last  days 
upon  earth  were  solaced  by  the  affectionate  offices  of  three 
attendants  of  noble  pedigree  ;  that  he  lies  buried  within  the 
consecrated  bounds  of  the  family  cemetery,  and  that  the  bones 
of  the  diceased  aristocrats  already  mouldering  there  did  not  turn 
uneasily  at  the  plebeian  intrusion,  —  if  all  this  does  not  set  that 


190  SUNNYBANK. 

old  Connecticut  farmeress  up  in  gentility  for  the  remainder  of 
her  insignificant  existence,  where  is  the  use  of  further  at- 
tempts to  preserve  the  wholesome  laws  of  distinction  of  rank 
that  govern  Republican  society  ? 

Elinor  was  apparently  inconsolable  for  the  loss  of  her  patient. 
She  went  about  the  house  on  tiptoe,  murmuring  little  snatches 
of  funeral  chants  and  fragments  of  a  song  she  had  caught 
by  ear,  from  hearing  Major  Hart  sing  it  on  the  evening  of  the 
skirmish.  One  stanza  has  gotten  wedged  into  my  memory 
through  her  incessant  humming. 

"  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night ! 
No  sound  save  the  rush  of  the  river, 
While  soft  falls  the  dew  on  the  face  of  the  dead; 
The  Picket's  off  duty  forever !  " 

I  wish  her  songs  did  not  haunt  me  so  impertinently.  If  she 
has  any  artistic  talent,  it  is  for  music. 

She  moped,  after  this  fashion,  for  two  or  three  days,  when 
a  diversion  arrived  in  the  form  of  a  call  from  Captain  Kingston. 
He  had  leave  of  absence  for  forty-eight  hours,  that  he  might 
attend  to  some  business  in  this  neighborhood.  His  brother 
resides  but  four  miles  from  us,  and  the  Captain  is,  in  these 
days,  a  most  loving  relative,  judging  from  the  frequency  of  his 
visits.  He  rode  over  to  Sunnybank,  one  afternoon,  to  inquire 
after  the  welfare  of  the  Yankee  prisoner,  and,  as  a  matter  of 
secondary  importance,  to  see  how  Lynn*s  recovery  was  progress- 
ing. He  was  too  sage  a  strategist  to  slight  this  opportunity  of 
deepening  the  favorable  opinion  entertained  by  the  family  of  his 
amended  morals  and  manners.  It  was  edifying  to  see  his  hand- 
some face  gather  a  look  of  melancholy  interest  as  Elinor  expa- 
tiated to  him,  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  upon  the  concluding 
scenes  of  her  patient's  life.  A  stranger  would  have  been 
tempted  to  arrest  him,  on  the  spot,  for  sympathy  with  the  in- 
vaders.    The  thrilling  narrative  over,  he  addressed  Mr.  Lacy. 

"  There  will  be  a  general  exchange  of  prisoners  within  a 
few  days,  sir.  One  of  my  objects  in  visiting  you,  to-day,  was 
to  inquire  if  this  poor  young  fellow  had  any  message  or  letter 


SUNNYBANK.  191 

to  send  to  his  friends.  I  am  truly  grieved  that  he  did  not  live 
to  see  them  again.  K  you  will  intrust  to  me  the  packet  designed 
for  his  mother,  I  will  place  it  in  the  hands  of  some  respon- 
sible bearer,  —  a  chaplain,  or  an  officer  in  the  Federal  army,  — 
and  exact  a  pledge  from  him  to  deliver  it  safely  to  her  address. 
You  understand,  however,  that  all  flag-of-truce  letters  must  go 
unsealed." 

''  Well  done !  "  I  said,  inwardly,  as  the  father  spoke  the 
thanks  the  daughter  was  too  much  moved  to  do  more  than 
look. 

This  was  a  tremendous  stride  towards  preferment  with  both. 
There  passed  from  one  to  the  other  a  meaning  glance  —  on  her 
part,  of  entreaty  —  on  her  father's,  of  comforting  assurance  — 
and  Mr.  Lacy  arose. 

"  May  I  trespass  further  upon  your  kindness,  and  ask  you  to 
take  charge  of  a  letter  from  myself  to  a  friend  in  New  York  ?  " 

Rolf  bowed  his  acquiescence,  and  Elinor,  first  handing  the 
dead  soldier's  letter  to  the  Captain,  followed  her  father  to  the 
study  to  assist  in  inditing  the  more  important  one. 

"A  formidable  document!  "  said  Rolf,  coming  off  his  pious 
stilts  when  left  alone  with  wicked  me. 

"Do  you  really  mean  to  send  it  through?"  I  inquired,  tak- 
ing it  from  him  and  slipping  off  the  envelope. 

"  I  do  !     I  could  accomplish  nothing  by  intercepting  it.     I 
.  don't  care  to  cheat  the  old  lady  out  of  her  son's  last  will  and 
testament." 

I  had  opened  the  sheet,  and  was  skimming  over  Elinor's  post- 
script. 

"  Which  I  commend  to  your  perusal !  "  I  remarked,  giving 
back  the  letter.  "  It  is  a  neat  sample  of  the  respectfully  senti- 
mental." 

"  She  couldn't  do  anything  that  was  not  perfect  of  its  kind," 
he  answered,  seriously.  "  By  Jove  !  how  lovely  she  is  to-day  ! 
It  would  pay  a  fellow  to  kill  a  Yankee  under  her  window  every 
night  in  the  year,  it  adds  so  to  her  beauty  !  I  grudged  that 
one  his  quarters.     One  wouldn't  mind  a  bullet  in    the  heart 


192  SUNNYBANK. 

or  brain  so  much,  after  all,  if  he  could  die  upon  her  arm,  her 
glorious  eyes  shining  down  into  his." 

"  Rolf  Kingston  !  "  I  said,  calmlj  contemptuous,  "  you  are 
no  nearer  finding  your  wits  than  you  were  two  years  ago  !  " 

"  That  may  be  !  but  I  am  nearer  another  consummation  to 
be  desired  yet  more  devoutly  !  " 

*'  I  begin  to  think  that  you  may  marry  that  girl  yet,  if  that 
is  what  you  mean." 

"  I  shall !  Yankee  iron  and  lead  permitting,"  he  rejoined, 
in  smiling  confidence. 

I  succumbed  to  the  temptation  of  dampening  his  provoking 
self-complacency  —  his  silly  satisfaction  with  the  prospect  of  his 
fool's  paradise. 

"  You  design,  also,  of  course,  to  play  the  trusty  bearer  to 
the  letter  which  is  now  being  written  up  stairs  ?  You  have  no 
conception  of  the  destination  of  that !  " 

The  sneer  did  not  disturb  his  equanimity. 

*'  I  am  willing  to  wager  that  I  can  match  the  address  !  "  and 
he  took  out  his  pocket-book. 

From  an  inner  compartment  he  produced  a  soiled  scrap  of 
paper,  and  held  it  toward  me.  It  was  the  torn  envelope  Miss 
Hetty  Stratton  had  picked  up,  the  October  night  she  passed 
here. 

"Where  did  you  get  it?" 

"  From  the  person  who  found  it.  She  values  it  highly,  — 
next  to  her  hopes  of  matrimony,  I  verily  believe,  —  and  I  am 
to  return  it  to  her  when  it  has  wrought  out  its  mission." 

"  Which  is ?  "  I  said,  inquiringly. 

"  The  punishment  of  treason  !  "  he  returned,  in  a  would-be 
tremendous  tone. 

I  laughed.  "  Very  well !  But  don't  summon  me  as  a  wit- 
ness.    All  my  information  is  second-hand." 

"  I  question  that !  But  you  shall  not  be  annoyed,  if  I  can 
help  it.  We  cannot  afford  to  quarrel  with  each  other.  More- 
over, it  would. nearly  kill  my  friend,  the  Lieutenant,  were  you 
to  appear  against  his  father." 


SUNNYBANK.  193 

Then  we  talked  of  other  and  indifferent  things  in  a  louder 
and  more  lively  tone.  Parlors  are  dangerous  places  for  confer- 
ences such  as  we  are  obliged  to  hold,  now  and  then. 

Mr.  Lacy  returned  to  us,  in  half  an  hour,  bringing  the  prom- 
ised epistle.  As  Captain  Kingston  received  it,  he  dexterously 
turned  the  outside  of  the  envelope  toward  me. 

As  I  had  expected,  it  was  directed  to  "  Harrison  M.  Wilton, 
Esq.,  New  York  City." 
17 


194  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

ELINOR. 

In  Camp.     May  14,  1863. 

My  Dear  MoxnER :  I  forwarded  yesterday,  to  my  father,  a 
full  account  of  the  late  severe  engagements  at  Chancellorsville, 
resulting  in  the  disastrous  defeat  and  retreat  of  the  enemy. 
One  incident  of  the  battle  I  purposely  refrained  from  relating 
to  him,  hoping  that  I  might  obtain  leave  of  absence  shortly,  and 
preferring  to  tell  the  story  by  word  of  mouth.  I  find  that  this 
was  a  vain  expectation  —  no  furloughs  being  granted  just  at 
present. 

On  the  night  after  the  first  day's  engagement,  my  company 
was  detailed  to  guard  a  number  of  Federal  prisoners  who  had 
just  been  brought  into  our  lines.  Some  of  them  were  wounded, 
and  ray  instructions  were  to  see  that  these  did  not  suffer  for 
want  of  care.  Accompanied  by  a  surgeon,  I  accordingly  went 
from  rank  to  rank,  inquiring  as  to  the  whereabouts  and  condi- 
tion of  such  as  had  been  injured,  and  appointing  them  to  a 
sort  of  temporary  hospital  improvised  for  their  reception.  I 
had  little  taste  for  the  task,  when  I  thought  how  many  of  our 
own  brave  fellows  might  be  lying  upon  roadside  and  field,  long- 
ing vainly  for  the  like  attention  ;  but  since  it  was  duty,  I 
resolved  to  perform  it  conscientiously.  At  length  I  came  to  a 
small  squad  of  men  collected  about  one  who  had  lain  down,  or 
fallen  upon  the  ground.  A  blanket  had  been  spread  under  him, 
and  his  head  rested  upon  the  knee  of  an  officer.  The  latter 
Tvas  bending  over  the  wounded  man,  trying  to  pour  spirits  from 
a  pocket-flask  down  his  throat.  By  the  torch-light  I  could  see 
that  both  wore  a  Lieutenant's  uniform.     As  I  stopped,  and  was 


SUNNYBANK.  195 

about  to  question  the  kneeling  figure,  the  head  he  supported  fell 
back,  the  jaw  dropped,  and  the  man  was  dead. 

"  It  is  all  over  with  him  !  "  said  a  bystander. 

The  kneeling  man  did  not  speak  at  once.  He  closed  the  eyes 
of  his  comrade,  laid  him  down  gently,  and  crossing  his  arms 
upon  his  breast,  folded  the  blanket  about  the  corpse  in  reveren- 
tial tenderness.  I  could  not  but  observe  and  respect,  impatient 
as  I  was  to  complete  my  unpleasant  work. 

"  Perhaps  you  woirid  prefer  that  he  should  be  buried  by  your 
own  men,  sir?"  I  said,  respectfully,  moved  to  unusual  interest 
by  the  little  episode.  The  Federal  officer  arose  to  his  feet,  giv- 
ing me  the  military  salute. 

"  You  are  very  kind  !     I  accept  your  offer  gratefully  !  " 

I  had  started  back  at  the  voice,  and  now,  as  our  eyes  met, 
the  recognition  was  mutual. 

Mother !  this  blue-coated  invader  of  our  State,  this  volun- 
teer in  a  service  that  counts  it  no  crime,  but  patriotic  virtue 
and  duty,  to  pillage  and  destroy  peaceful  homesteads,  and 
devastate  plantations  inhabited  by  inoffensive  old  men,  helpless 
women,  and  children,  —  in  one  word,  this  Yankee  Lieutenant 
was  Harry  "Wilton  !  My  first  indignant  impulse  was  to  strike 
him  to  the  ground  where  he  stood  ;  my  second,  to  pass'  him 
coldly  by  without  a  word  of  greeting.  He  evidently  divined 
both  feelings,  for  his  manner  was  dignified,  yet  not  deprecatory. 

"  Can  I  have  a  moment's  conversation  with  you.  Captain 
Lacy  ?  "  he  asked. 

I  bowed,  gave  an  order  relative  to  the  removal  of  the  dead 
body,  and  we  stepped  some  paces  apart  from  the  others. 

"  Your  parents,  sisters,  and  brother  are  well,  I  hope,"  he 
began. 

I  answered  stiffly  that  they  were. 

"  You  are  displeased  at  meeting  me  here  !  "  he  said  next. 
"  I  do  not  blame  you  for  this  feeling.  It  could  not  be  other- 
wise. To  most  men  I  would  not  deign  to  offer  an  explanation 
of  what  requires  no  excuse.  But  we  were  friends  once,  and 
on  my  part  that  friendship  exists  unchanged.     I  entered  the 


196  SUNNYBANK. 

United  States  service  last  Fall,  soon  after  the  battle  of  Antietam. 
Do  you  understand,  now,  what  urged  me  to  this  step,  as  no 
other  consideration  —  and  others  were  not  wanting  —  had 
done?" 

"  You  refer,  I  presume,  to  the  new  policy  of  warfare  adopted 
by  the  Confederate  Government,"  I  replied. 

"  I  do.  While  the  South  stood  on  the  defensive,  while  her 
armies  claimed  to  be  fighting  upon  their  own  territory  in  defence 
of  their  homes  and  State  rights,  I,  in  common  with  many 
other  Union  men,  while  I  did  not  justify  her  original  appeal  to 
arms  in  support  of  these  rights,  yet  recognized  a  certain  degree 
of  consistency  in  her  conduct.  But  when  she  imitated  the  very 
course  she  had  all  along  unsparingly  condemned,  when  '  In- 
vasion,' and  not  '  Defence,'  became  her  war-cry,  every  loyal 
citizen  of  the  United  States  felt  himself  bound  to  resist,  by 
every  means  at  his  command,  the  advance  of  the  hostile  forces. 
The  question  involved  then  was  nothing  less  than  National  ex- 
istence. It  was.  a  dark  era  for  the  Union  cause.  Defection  and 
dismay  were  doing  their  evil  work  among  all  classes  of  society. 
There  were  whispers  of  treason  in  the  highest  offices  in  the 
Government  and  the  army.  No  faithful  lover  of  his  country 
could,  at  that  crisis,  withhold  his  support  from  the  tottering 
fabric.  Many  could,  and  did,  give  lavishly  of  their  means  to 
swell  the  National  army.  Thousands,  who  could  not  contribute 
in  this  manner  as  their  wishes  prompted  and  the  exigency  de- 
manded, offered  strong  arms  iand  stout  hearts  to  accomplish  the 
same  end.  Of  this  number  I  was  one  —  and  I  am  here.  You 
would  have  done  the  same  had  my  position  been  yours." 

He  said  all  this  with  no  haste  or  parade  of  self- vindication, 
but  as  a  dispassionate  statement  of  facts  it  was  best  for  me 
to  know,  and  to  weigh  well  before  I  judged  him.  Angry  as  I 
was,  and  indisposed  to  accept  any  explanation  of  his  conduct  as 
satisfactory,  —  sophistical  as  I  felt  his  arguments  to  be, —  I  could 
not  but  yield  a  little  to  his  olden  influence  over  me. 

"  Perhaps  I  might,"  I  said,  unwillingly.  "Yet  I  was  unpre- 
pared to  see  you  in  the  character  of  an  enemy.     Our  relations, 


SUNNYBANK.  197 

in  times  past,  were  so  different,  it  is  not  surprising  that  I  should 
be  wounded  and  offended  at  this  encounter." 

"  Had  I  Kstened  to  the  pleadings  of  self-interest,  or  purely 
personal  feelings,  you  had  never  seen  me  thus,"  he  rejoined, 
mournfully.  "  It  is  the  peculiarity  of  this  war  that  the  patriot 
is  so  often  called  upon  to  sacrifice  his  individuality,  with  its 
desires,  and  loves,  and  seeming  expediencies,  and  labor  with  a 
single  eye  to  his  country's  good.  The  first  and  often  the  hardest 
battle  that  he  has  is  with  himself." 

"  I  am  not  so  philosophical !  "  I  retorted.  "  We  have  not 
learned,  in  this  section,  to  dissociate  men  and  the  principles  by 
which  they  profess  to  be  guided.  He  who  seeks  to  wrest  from 
me  home,  property,  citizenship  —  life  itself — can  be  nothing 
but  an  enemy,  and  a  deadly  one.  Nevertheless,  Lieutenant 
Wilton,  while  you  remain  under  my  charge,  I  shall  esteem  it 
my  duty  to  do  whatever  I  can  to  render  your  situation  endura- 
ble.   Pleasant,  I  cannot  hope  to  make  it." 

He  raised  his  hand  to  his  cap,  as  I  did  mine,  and  we 
parted. 

Two  or  three  hours  later,  I  was  passing  near  the  spot  where 
I  had  last  seen  him,  and  was  arrested  by  the  sound  of  a  voice 
reading  or  praying.  It  was  Wilton  reading  the  burial  service 
above  the  grave  of  his  brother  officer.  At  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  my  company  was  moved  forward,  and  the  prisoners 
consigned  to  the  custody  of  another.  The  posj^ion  we  resigned 
to  them  was  considered  strong,  yet  it  was  attacked  successfully 
by  the  enemy  early  in  the  day,  the  Confederates  driven  back, 
and  the  prisoners  —  two  or  three  hundred  in  number  —  re- 
captured. 

This  is  the  exact  history  of  an  interview  than  which  few 
others  could  have  angered  and  distressed  me  more  deeply.  In 
reviewing  it,  instead  of  repenting  my  harshness,  I  wonder  at 
my  forbearance,  while  I  do  not  withhold  from  Wilton  credit 
for  his  admirable  temper  and  manly  bearing.  I  considered 
then,  as  I  do  now,  that  his  course  in  joining  the  Federal  army 
was  inexcusable,  and  in  view  of  his  connection  with  our  family, 
17* 


198  SUNNYBANK. 

basely  ungrateful  —  not  to  say  unfeeling.  According  to  his  con- 
fession, he  enlisted  voluntarily.  He  was  not  the  victim  of  con- 
scription, or  even  public  sentiment.  The  cause  of  the  oppressors 
was  never  so  unpopular  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  as  when 
he  took  up  arms,  with  a  probability  amounting  almost  to  a  cer- 
tainty, that  he  would  be  obliged  to  use  them  against  those  who 
were  formerly  his  associates  in  business  and  social  life  —  his 
intimates,  his  brothers  in  all  save  blood.  Mother !  it  is  mon- 
strous !  My  heart  grows  hard  and  bitter  when  I  think  of  it. 
Yet  how  I  loved  and  trusted  this  man  !  How  scrupulous  and 
affectionate  has  been  my  exception  of  him  from  the  invectives 
I  have  constantly  been  provoked  into  uttering  against  the 
detested  race  among  whom  he  had  his  birth  !  There  is  much  iu 
birth,  after  all  —  and  more  in  breeding.  To  borrow  a  parodied 
text  from  a  jovial  messmate,  "  Though  thou  bray  a  Yankee 
in  a  mortar  with  a  pestle,  yet  will  not  his  Yankeeism  depart 
from  him."  I  believe  it  I  Yet,  in  the  blindness  of  the  igno- 
rance that  preceded  the  wholesale  and  abominable  development 
of  their  true  natures  —  before  I  knew  all  Yankees  to  be  Yankees, 
whatever  disguise  they  might  assume  —  I  Avas  willing,  yes ! 
glad  to  have  my  sister  betrothed  to  this  one  of  the  accursed 
tribe  !  I  would  as  soon,  now,  give  up  an  only  pet  lamb  to  the 
guardianship  of  a  red-mouthed  wolf. 

I  write  excitedly,  but  it  is  less  warmly  than  I  feel.  I  have 
had  a  double  hurf  —  to  friendship  and  to  pride.  If  I  had  ever 
conceived  the  imagination  of  Wilton's  enrolment  in  the  enemy's 
ranks,  I  would  have  repelled  it  as  an  aspersion  of  his  love  and 
good  faith  to  Nellie  and  to  me, 

Lynn,  who  has  just  come  into  my  tent,  reminds  me  that  you 
and  mf  father  may  take  a  more  lenient  view  of  the  case  that 
has  wrought  me  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  righteous  wrath.  I  do 
not  believe  that  this  will  be  so.  In  any  event,  I  do  not  think 
that  you  will  consent  to  give  your  daughter  in  marriage  to  one 
who  is  a  sworn  foe  to  her  nearest  of  kin ;  whose  hands  may, 
to-morrow,  be  dyed  in  her  brother's  blood. 

Choose  your  own  time  and  way  of  telling  Nellie  what  she 


SUNNYBANK.  199 

must  learn  in  some  manner  at  some  day.  If  I  might  advise 
you  in  so  delicate  an  affair,  I  would  recommend  that  the  news 
be  broken  to  her,  tenderly,  by  yourself  or  Agatha.  Nellie  is  a 
warm-hearted,  faithful  little  creature,  and  this  will  afflict  her 
sadly,  let  the  blow  fall  when  it  will. 

We  are  well  and  in  high  spirits  over  our  recent  victory. 
There  is  but  one  cloud  in  the  southern  sky  —  the  death  of  our 
matchless  Jackson.  All  the  blood  in  Lincoln's  army  was  not 
worth  one  hair  of  that  man's  head. 

Tell  Brownie  not  to  bate  me  when  she  hears  all ! 

Affectionately, 

Ross  Lacy. 

This  is  the  entire  letter.  I  have  begged  it  of  Mamma,  that  I 
might  preserve  every  word  of  that  dialogue  upon  what  must 
ever  be  to  me  "  the  dark  and  bloody  ground"  of  this  most 
bloody  and  cruel  war. 

Providence  did  not  leave  to  Mamma's  option  the  means  by 
which  the  terrible  intelligence  should  be  imparted  to  me.  Let- 
ters from  the  army  are  common  property  with  Papa,  Mamma, 
and  myself,  and  I  chanced  —no!  not  that!  God  does  not 
afflict  His  children  idly— it  was  ordered  that  I  should  be  the 
only  one  of  the  three  at  home  when  Ross'  communication  ar- 
rived. I  opened  it  in  eager  haste  —  my  heart  throbbing  with 
sisterly  love  and  longings.  Every  word  was  a  drop  of  hot  poi- 
son, and  withered  up  my  soul. 

My  parents  and  Agatha  are  very  good  to  me. 

"Regard  all  that  your  brother  has  written  of  his  personal 
resentment  as  if  it  had  not  been  said,"  Papa  told  me  to-day. 
"  His  temper  is  hasty,  and  this  incident  has  touched  him  nearly. 
When  he  is  cooler  he  will  repent  of  much  that  he  has  said  and 
done.  Listen  to  the  voice  of  your  own  heart,  the  advice  of  your 
own  conscience  ;  remembering,  meanwhile,  that  Harry  is  guilty 
of  no  new  heresy.  He  has  but  carried  into  practice  the  princi- 
ples he  held  and  asserted,  two  years  since,  and  which  your 
parents  encouraged  him  to  hold  and  to  profess.    I  do  not  dictate 


200  .SUNNYBANK. 

a  line  of  action  for  your  adoption.  But  this  much  I  owe  it  to  Mr. 
Wilton  to  say  ;  —  also,  that  your  mother  and  myself  do  not  see, 
how  he,  while  stanch  in  his  present  faith,  could  have  dcted 
differently." 

"  I  do  not  censure  him,  Papa !  Do  not  imagine  that  for  an 
instant !  "  I  returned.  "  In  what  he  has  done  he  has  not  been 
actuated  by  caprice,  or  yet  want  of  attachment  to  his  Virginia 
friends.    My  confidence  in  his  integrity  and  truth  remains  firm." 

But  to-night,  in  the  loneliness  of  my  chamber,  I  have  read 
and  re-read  that  letter  until  my  spirit  is  utterly  broken,  and  my 
heart,  too.  It  was  sad  enough  before  to  quake  with  fear  at 
the  arrival  of  every  mail,  or  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  visitot, 
lest  evil  tidings  had  come  of  my  brothers  ;  to  fancy  that  each 
gale  might  be  freighted  with  the  tumult  of  combat  and  the 
dying  breath  of  one  or  both  of  the  beloved  sons  of  our  once 
happy  household.  Another  and  more  dreadful  picture  must 
ever  be  with  me  now  —  my  betrothed  husband  receiving  his 
death-wound  from  my  brother's  hand,  or  himself  being  that 
brother's  murderer.  Oh,  merciful  Father !  Thou  hast  bound 
a  heavy  load  upon  thy  fainting  child !  I  have  no  articulate 
prayer  to  offer,  only  a  blind  cry  for  mercy  and  strength  \  *  *  * 

Agatha  has  been  sitting  with  me  for  three  quarters  of  an 
hour.  She  knocked  at  my  door  as  I  was  writing  the  last  line 
above.  I  said,  "  Come  in  !  "  when  I  had  thrust  my  journal  into 
a  drawer,  and  tried  to  smooth  away  the  haggard  look  of  wretch- 
edness I  knew  was  depicted  upon  my  features.  She  was  in  her 
night-dress,  her  hair  unbound,  and  a  great  scarlet  shawl 
wrapped  about  her,  although  the  night  is  warm,  and  she  still 
shivered,  at  intervals,  as  if  suffering  from  cold. 

"  I  felt  lonely  and  '  blue '  in  my  room,"  she  remarked,  "  and 
I  have  come  to  beg  for  a  short  chat  with  you." 

I  said  that  I  was  quite  ready  for  it,  and  seated  myself  with 
my  back  to  the  lamp.  It  was  not  envy  that  made  my  heart  ache 
the  more  in  the  thought  of  her  happy  engagement,  while  storms 
had  lowered  above  my  path  from  within  the  earliest  weeks  of 
mine,  ^  each  cloud  darker  than  those  that  had  gone  before.     I 


SUNNYBANK.  201 

did  not  grudge  her  her  bliss,  —  but  sometimes  the  unshaded 
sunshine  is  painful  to  eyes  weak  and  sore  with  long  weeping. 

"I  had  a  letter  from  Lynn,  to-day,"  she  said,  after  some 
commonplace  observations  upon  the  dampness  she  detected  in 
the  night  air,  and  the  neuralgic  symptoms  this  never  failed  to 
excite  in  her  system. 

"  Did  you  ? "  I  asked,  trying  to  shake  off  my  listlessness. 
"  Is  his  arm  quite  strong  again?" 

"  No.  He  still  has  pain  and  weakness  in  it,  at  times,  and 
he  was  seriously  indisposed  for  a  day  or  two  after  the  battle, 
althouofh  he  forbade  Ross  to  mention  this  when  he  wrote.     I  am 

o 

afraid  that  many  months  must  elapse  before  he  is  entirely  him- 
self—  if,  indeed,  he  should  ever  recover.  The  shock  to  the 
nervous  system  may  be  irreparable." 

*'  I  hope  not.  His  health  has  improved  wonderfully  during 
his  camp-life.  His  constitution  seemed  nearly  as  vigorous  as 
Ross',  up  to  the  date  of  his  receiving  that  wound  in  the  shoul- 
der." 

She  shook  her  head,  despondingly. 

"It  is  sweet  in  you  to  seek  to  comfort  me —  but  I  have 
marked  many  signs  of  failing  health  in  Lynn,  of  which  I  have 
never  spoken  to  any  one  —  not  even  to  his  mother.  It  is  my 
conviction  that  let  the  war  end  when  and  as  it  may,  it  has  left 
a  life-long  token  upon  him.  Bear  with  my  sadness,  Nellie, 
dear !  I  have  many  miserable  days  and  sleepless  nights  on 
account  of  these  forebodings.  I  cannot  rid  myself  of  them,  and 
I  believe  that  the  like  torment  him." 

This  startled  me  —  principally  because  there  occurred  to  me, 
as  corroborative  evidence  of  the  existence  of  this  feeling  in  his 
mind,  the  fact  that  he  had  made  his  will,  last  winter,  and  left 
it  in  his  father's  hands,  with  instructions  how  to  proceed  in  the 
disposition  of  his  property,  should  he  die  away  from  home. 

"  If  that  be  so,  he  ought  to  get  leave  of  absence,  and  come 
home,  without  delay,"  I  said,  earnestly.  "  He  is  not  needed 
in  the  army,  and  we  cannot  afford  to  have  him  risk  his  precious 
life  recklessly." 


202  SUNNYBANK. 

She  smiled  —  sadly  still,  but  proudly. 

"  Right  and  wrong  both,  my  love !  We  cannot  afford  to 
risk  his  loss  —  but  the  army  does  need  him,  and  every  other 
brave  man  who  can  wield  a  sword.  The  worst  is  not  over,  if 
the  newspapers  do  announce  the  speedy  coming  of  peace.  The 
real  struggle  —  to  which  all  previous  fights  have  been  but  child's 
play  —  is  yet  in  the  Future.'* 

I  had  no  answer.  The  vision  of  that  conflict,  and  who  were 
to  participate  in  it,  passed  before  me,  veiling  eyes  and  impeding 
utterance.  Weak  and  worn  with  misery,  I  dropped  my  head 
upon  my  knees,  and  cried  bitterly.  When  I  recovered  myself, 
Agatha's  hand  lay  upon  my  head,  but  she  had  not  spoken. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  distress  you  by  my  foolish  tears  1  "  I 
apologized,  looking  into  her  kind,  grave  face. 

She  appeared  so  much  older  and  wiser  than  I,  in  that  moment 
of  unrestrained  grief,  that  I  felt  humbled  and  ashamed. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  weep,  Nellie !  I  have  feared  that 
the  unnatural  repression  of  feeling  would  injure  your  mind  or 
health.  You  do  not  confide  your  joys  and  sorrows  to  me,  as 
you  once  did ;  but  my  love  and  pity  are  the  same  now  as  then. 
Nor  is  it  my  design  to  beguile  you  into  a  show  of  answering 
confidence  by  my  exhibition  of  trust  in  your  affection  and  dis- 
cretion. I  tell  you  of  what  grieves  or  delights  me,  because  it 
is  my  nature  to  be  frank  to  those  whom  I  call  friends.  Heaven 
knows  these  are  few  enough  !  " 

"  You  wrong  me,  Agatha  !  "  I  said,  with  feeling.  "  If  I  am 
reserved  toward  you,  it  does  not  arise  from  distrust.  The  sor- 
rows which  have  visited  me  are  not  such  as  can  be  lightened 
by  discussion.  And"  —  for  this  sounded  ungracious  —  "you 
know  them  already,  without  my  telling  them  over.  Dwelling 
upon  them  does  me  no  good,  and  it  would  sadden  others." 

"Yet  I  could  wish  you  were  more  frank!"  she  persisted, 
wistfully.  "  You  are  growing  old  and  grave  under  your  secret 
trouble." 

"  It  is  not  secret !  "  I  returned,  unreasonably  irritated  by  her 
continued  attack.     "Papa,  Mamma,  you,  Lynn,  Ross  —  every- 


SUNNYBANK.  203 

body  who  knows  me  well,  understands  why  I  am  suffering  — 
why  I  must  ever  suffer,  unless  a  miracle  be  wrought  in  my  be- 
half." 

"  And  that  miracle  ?  "  interrogatively. 

"  Should  be  annulment  and  oblivion  of  all  that  has  happened 
since  the  14th  day  of  April,  1861  !  "  I  cried,  writhing  in  spirit, 
as  under  innumerable  pin-pricks.  "  I  am  niad  and  wild  when- 
ever I  think  of  my  thwarted  hopes  and  the  slow  torture  of  my 
daily  life.     I  can  only  keep  down  sinful  repining  and  worse  than 

useless  regrets  by  living  out  of  myself " 

"  And  by  forgetting  that  Harry  Wilton  ever  lived  !  "  she  put 
in,  abruptly,  with  a  strange  gleam  of  eye  and  inflection  of 
voice. 

I  was  sobered  instantly. 

"  I  had  rather  die  than  forget,  or  cease  to  love  him !  "  I  was 
fully  conscious  now  of  what  I  was  saying ;  felt  that  I  threw 
down  the  gauntlet  at  her  feet  —  not  in  defiance,  but  with  delib- 
erate, steadfast  resolve  never  to  give  him  up. 

She  set  her  chair  back  as  if  to  avoid  my  touch.  After  a 
moment  of  silence,  she  resumed  the  conversation  in  soft,  changed 
accents. 

"  My  poor  child !  "     . 

"  Don't  pity  me  because  I  love  him ! "  I  retorted,  hastily. 
"  That  is  the  greatest  happiness  I  have,  except  the  conviction 
that  he  loves  me  !  " 

No  reply  except  that  mournful  motion  of  the  head  and  an- 
other sigh, — 

"  Poor,  poor  child  !  " 

I  was  growing  angry  again,  and  I  held  my  peace. 
"  Has  it  not  occurred  to  you  —  "  she  commenced  very  slowly, 
apparently  choosing  her  words  with  caution.  There  she  stopped, 
and  began  another  sentence.  "Lynn  —  both  your  brothers 
think,  with  me,  that  it  is  singular  Mr.  Wilton  did  not  refer 
once  to  you  in  the  conversation  he  had  with  Ross.  The  marked 
omission  could  hardly  have  arisen  from  forgetfulness.  It  looks 
to  us  as  if  he  appreciated  the  truth  that  his  enlistment  in  the 


204  SUNNYBANK. 

Yankee  army  had  severed  the  conaection  between  you  more 
effectually  than  any  other  event  except  death  could  have  done." 

She  paused,  and  her  inquiring  tone  demanded  a  reply. 

*'  I  should  have  been  more  surprised  had  he  introduced  my 
name  in  a  conversation  like  that  repeated  in  Ross'  letter,"  I  said, 
evenly  and  tranquilly  as  I  could  speak.  "  He  inquired  after 
the  health  of  the  family,  including  Ross'  sisters.  He  learned 
from  the  answer  to  this  question  that  I  was  alive  and  well.  He 
needed  no  assurance  of  my  fidelity.  He  knew  better  than  Ross 
could  have  told  him,  that  while  we  live,  we  belong  to  each 
other  —  are  united  in  heart,  and  that  it  is  not  in  the  power  of 
any  man  to  put  us  asunder.  Our  betrothal  was  no  light  holi- 
day pledge,  but  a  vow  to  one  another,  to  ourselves,  and  in  the 
sight  of  Him  who  made  me  for  him  and  him  for  me." 

"  You  would  marry  him,  then,  if,  as  Ross  writes,  he  offered 
you  a  hand  stained  with  your  brother's  blood?"  as  horror- 
stricken  at  the  idea. 

"  The  Lord  is  very  pitiful !  He  will  not  bring  this  thing 
upon  me  !  "  was  my  reply.  *'  He  may  see  that  it  is  best  to  fill 
my  cup  to  the  brim  with  anguish ;  but  this  overflowing  drop 
will  be  spared.     I  will  trust  Him." 

"  Now,  you  do  talk  wildly  !  Child  !  do  you  believe  that  the 
God  of  nations  and  of  battles  concerns  himself  with  the  petty 
love-scrapes  of  foolish  girls  ?  " 

I  had  a  simple  answer.  "I  am  of  more  value  than  many 
sparrows." 

"  In  your  own  estimation  !  I  tell  you  He  does  often  fill  the 
cup  of  human  anguish  to  overrunning  —  drowns  the  soul  with 
woe !  Don't  trust  to  that  frail  straw  of  hope  !  I  repeat,  — 
if  Wilton  were  to  become  the  murderer  of  your  brother,  as  well 
as  the  enemy  of  your  native  State  —  what  then  ?  " 

"  And  if  my  brother  were  to  kill  him  —  what  then?  "  Was 
I  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit,  that  I  turned  upon  her  with  this 
speech?  "  You  have  tried  me  to  the  utmost,  Agatha  !  I  could 
not  respect  or  love  you,  if  I  thought  that  you  had  wantonly  put 
me  to  this  test.     You  have  complained  of  my  reserve  upon  this 


SUNNYBANK.  205 


subject.  I  will  tell  you  all  that  I  know  myself,  and  then  you  may 
rest  content.  I  have  promised  to  be  Harry  Wilton's  wife,  and 
when  he  claims  me,  I  shall  fulfil  my  promise.  He  may  come 
to  me  with  blood  upon  his  hands,  but  there  will  be  none  upon 
his  soul.  If  it  is  lawful  for  Ross  to  fight  for  State  rights,  it 
must  be  a  duty  which  no  patriot  would  shirk,  —  a  glorious  priv- 
ilege no  patriot  would  willingly  forego,  —  to  fight  for  National 
existence.  I  do  not  account  Harry  guilty  even  of  ingratitude, 
which  is  the  least  sin  Ross  charges  home  upon  him.  I  am  as 
sure  that  he  has  acted  right  and  worthily  as  that  I  live  and 
breathe,  and,  living,  love  him  more  than  State  or  brothers,  or 
aught  else  except  my  Creator.  Next  to  my  duty  to  my  God 
comes  my  obligation  to  trust,  love,  and  serve  my  betrothed  hus- 
band. This  I  have  never  doubted.  If  I  have  suffered,  it  is 
because  Providence  has  placed  me  in  circumstances  that  en- 
tailed trial  and  grief  upon  me  —  not  that  I  have  ever  wavered 
in  my  faith  in  Harry,  or  my  resolve  to  cleave  unto  him,  and 
him  only,  until  death  parts  us." 

She  sat  perfectly  still,  while  I  went  through  this  statement, 
ejing  me  fixedly,  and  seeming  in  no  wise  agitated  by  my  excite- 
ment and  plain  speaking. 

"You  have  more  spirit  than  I  gave  you  credit  for,"  she  said, 
at  length.  "  There  is  no  danger  of  my  misunderstanding  you 
hereafter.  And  this  answer  I  am  at  liberty  to  repeat  to  your 
brothers  ?  " 

"  If  they  wish  to  know  my  decision,  I  can  give  them  no 
other.     It  is  not  I  who  have  raised  the  issue." 

"  No  !  it  is  Mr.  Wilton  !  "  she  rejoined,  dryly. 

"  I  deny  the  imputlition !  His  behavior  has  been  manly, 
honorable,  consistent,  throughout.  Be  just,  Agatha!  You 
have  never  had  a  truer  friend  than  is  the  man  you  three  com- 
bine to  condemn.  You  should  know  him  to  be  incapable  of  a 
base  or  a  mean  deed." 

"  You  do  well  to  allude  to  our  ancient  intimacy.     I  would 
not  lose  the  memory  of  it !      Still,  while  I  am  the  promised 
wife  of  your  brother,  I  cannot  reconcile  it  with  my  sense  of 
18 


206  SUNNYBANK. 

duty  to  communicate  with  his  open  foe,  or  in  any  manner  to 
palliate  the  enormity  of  the  action  that  has  arrayed  the  two 
against  one  another.  I  thank  you  for  your  candor,  and  overlook 
your  unusual  warmth  of  temper  and  language.  I  regret  the 
necessity  that  led  me  to  provoke  this  —  but  it  was  a  necessity. 
I  call  say  no  more  !  " 

She  has  gone  —  with  her  glittering  eyes,  weird  smile,  and 
more  mysterious  words.  I  breathe  more  freely.  The  room  is 
brighter  ;  and  my  passion  is  rapidly  subsiding  into  amazement 
and  perplexed  questionings. 

"What  brought  her  to  me  with  her  pitiless  catechism  and  more 
unfeeling  innuendoes?  "Was  she  my  brothers'  ambassadress? 
No !  they  are  true  and  gallant  gentlemen,  and  could  not  press 
this  decision  upon  me  while  my  spirit  is  yet  faint  with  the  pain 
of  the  disclosure  contained  in  Ross'  letter.  And  she  was  Har- 
ry's friend  and  favorite  before  he  ever  saw  me  !  But  for  him, 
she  might  have  toiled  through  years  of  ill-paid  drudgery,  sur- 
rounded by  the  coarse  and  vulgar  associations  which  laboring 
women,  who  are  not  themselves  inherently  vulgar,  esteem  the 
greatest  hardship  of  their  lot !  All  that  she  has  of  ease,  com- 
fort, and  refinement,  and  the  education  that  fits  her  to  adorn 
her  present  station,  she  owes  to  him, -^  yet  she  would  have  me 
forget  that  he  ever  lived,  —  for  herself  repudiates  him  as  an 
acquaintance !  This  is  a  lesson  in  human  nature  I  would 
gladly  have  been  spared. 

I  have  not  been  so  angry  since  my  childhood.  I  could  not 
have  believed,  three  hours  ago,  that  I  could  ever  be  so  angry 
with  her.  Nor  am  I  entirely  sure  how  it  happened,  that  our 
talk  glowed  so  suddenly  into  a  wordy  combat.  I  but  compre- 
hend that  she  attacked  my  darling,  and  that  I  defended  him. 
Yet  my  brain  is  clearer,  and  my  heart  no  heavier,  —  that  could 
scarcely  be,  —  for  the  storm.  I  have  asserted  my  position, 
assumed  my  right  place  in  her  eyes  and  those  of  my  brothers. 

My  brothers  !  "  Tell  Brownie  not  to  hate  me,"  says  Ross  ; 
and  the  forced  levity  of  the  message  tells  me  more  truly  than 


SUNNYBANK.  207 

he  suspects  of  the  real  sadness  he  experienced  in  the  thought 
of  my  unhappiness  when  this  injunction  should  reach  me. 
Is  it  always  wrong  to  pray  for  death,  I  wonder  ?  — 

"  The  sooner  'tis  over,  the  sooner  to  sleep ! " 

Sleep,  with  no  such  horrible  rumors  of  wars  as  must  hence- 
forward affright  me  in  dreams,  as  they  torture  every  moment 
of  my  waking  hours.  Thou,  who  art  touched  with  a  feeling 
of  our  infirmities,  is  there  succor  with  Thee  for  a  spirit  so 
tossed  and  torn  as  mine  ? 


208  BUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

AGATHA. 

August  15. 

"We  have  had  a  raid. 

Raids  have  been  all  the  fashion  this  summer,  and  we  may 
now  claim  a  notable  place  among  the  fashionables  of  the  region. 
And  ours  was  no  such  pitiful  affair  as  was  the  arrival  of  a 
scouting-party  last  December,  when  a  band  of  perhaps  fifty  — 
our  brave  defenders  swore  there  were  treble  that  number  — 
stumbled  upon  the  outposts  of  the  Confederates,  who  had 
encamped  over  night  upon  the  lawn. 

To  proceed  systematically  with  the  history  of  the  event,  let 
me  begin  with  yesterday  morning,  when  I  had  taken  a  rocking- 
chair  and  a  volume  of  Bulwer  to  a  shaded  corner  at  the  west 
end  of  the  piazza,  and  settled  myself  lazily  for  a  quiet  fore- 
noon, and  nothing  in  particular  to  do.  Presently,  Elinor  came 
out  with  Carrie,  armed  with  spelling  and  reading-books,  and  sat 
down  upon  the  upper  one  of  the  front  steps,  to  hear  the  child's 
daily  tasks.  At  first,  I  was  inclined  to  change  my  quarters. 
It  makes  me  nervously  ill-natured  to  listen  to  the  sing-song 
monotone  of  lessons.  I  suppose  it  has  the  opposite  effect  upon 
the  voluntary  schoolmistress  ;  for  she  is  punctual  and  assiduous 
in  the  performance  of  this  duty,  or  pleasure,  whichever  she 
considers  it.  But  I  was  very  comfortably  fixed,  and,  if  the 
truth  be  told,  too  indolent  to  move,  unless  it  should  become 
necessary.  The  day  was  bright  and  breezy.  Rain  had  fallen 
during  the  night,  accompanied  by  sharp  lightning  and  loud 
thunder,  and  the  atmosphere  was  the  better  for  the  excitement. 
I  often  experience  a  kindred  change  myself  after  I  have  had 


SUNNYBANK.  209 

a  rousing,  wholesome  ''  sensation."  The  la"wn  was  an  expanse 
of  emerald  velvet,  bespangled,  where  the  tree-shadows  still 
rested,  with  diamonds ;  the  creeping  roses  and  clematis  upon 
the  trellis  at  either  end  of  the  long  porch,  and  trailing  along 
the  eaves,  were  full  of  blossoms  ;  and  every  breath  from  the 
garden  was  aromatic  with  newly  distilled  essences  from  the 
flower-beds.  I  did  not  open  my  book  for  a  while,  but  inhaled 
the  perfumes,  gazed  out  from  my  bower  upon  the  green  hills, 
upon  fields  of  tall  corn  tossing  tasselled  heads  in  the  sunshine, 
the  grand  old  woods  to  the  right,  and  upon  the  left  the  swift 
river,  that  had  caught  the  spirit  of  universal  jubilation. 

There  are  two  large  acacia  trees  at  opposite  corners  of  the 
house,  and  the  murmur  of  bees  and  humming-birds  in  their 
branches  fairly  drowned  the  sing-song  I  had  dreaded.  I  amused 
myself  by  watching  the  coquetting  of  the  happy  creatures 
among  the  feathery  foliage,  chasing  one  another  in  and  out, 
above  and  below  the  tufts  of  flowers,  that  resemble  nothing 
else  so  much  as  they  do  the  whitest  and  clearest  of  spun  glass 
tipped  with  pink,  —  a  matutinal  quadrille,  in  the  airy  mazes  of 
which  the  revellers  appeared  like  so  many  living  emeralds  and 
opals.  I  mused,  idly  and  pleasantly,  over  old  tales  of  genii  and 
elfin  balls,  and  then  of  Eastern  fables  and  songs,  mingling  dia- 
moijds,  rubies,  and  acacias  in  sweet,  bewildering  confusion 
that  suited  my  taste  well  upon  this  ripe  August  day. 

"  Our  rocks  are  bare,  but  smiling  tliere 
The  Acacia  waves  her  yellow  hair,"  — 

I  repeated,  dreamily. 

"Elinor,  why  does  Moore  call  it '  yellow  hair'?  It  is  sil- 
Yery,  —  more  like  Burns'  '  lassie  wi'  the  lint-white  locks.'  " 

She  raised  her  eyes  gravely  to  me,  then  glanced  at  the  tree. 
A  look,  part  pain,  part  surprise,  flitted  over  her  features.  I 
had  not  remembered  until  I  saw  this  that  the  song  from  which 
I  had  quoted  was  one  she  used  to  be  fond  of  singing  with 
Wilton.  But  I  cannot  be  forever  upon  my  guard  against  reviv- 
injr  these  tender  souvenirs. 

"  There  is  a  species  of  acacia  that  has  yellow  blossoms,"  she 
18* 


210  SUNNTBANK. 

rejoined,  quietly ;  and  her  eyes  went  down  again  to  the  book 
in  Carrie's  lap. 

I  fell  to  studying  her  instead  of  the  humming-birds  and 
butterflies  after  that.  She  wears  white  this  summer  weather, 
morning,  noon,  and  night.  On  this  morning,  she  had  on  a 
white  muslin  with  full  waist  and  sleeves,  a  crimson  belt,  and, 
at  her  throat,  a  red  rose-bud.  It  is  one  of  her  affectations,  to 
consult  neatness  and  becomingness  in  her  attire,  to  please  her 
father's  taste.  No  other  white  man,  under  sixty,  ever  comes 
near  the  plantation  now,  unless  it  be  a  foraging  party  of  rough 
Confederates,  or  ruder  Yankee  scouts.  But  the  artful  minx's 
brown  locks  were  put  up  decorously,  and  her  draperies  smooth 
and  pure  as  if  she  had  arrayed  herself  for  a  ball.  I  suspect 
that  she  is  never  free  from  the  hope  that  her  lover  may  appear, 
unheralded,  at  her  side  some  fine  day,  brave  and  gay  in  his 
Lieutenant's  livery.  She  has  read  enough  novels  to  incite  her 
to  dream  of  such  a  denouement.  All  her  care  and  circumspec- 
tion, however,  cannot  conceal  the  marks  of  mental  anguish  she 
has  undergone  this  summer.  Her  eyes  are  larger  than  ever, 
because  her  face  has  grown  thinner ;  her  lip  has  lost  its  spirited 
curve,  and  there  is,  instead,  the  tiniest  imaginable  droop  of  the 
corners  ;  and  she  never  sings  now.  I  hated  to  hear  her  carol- 
ling, senselessly  and  ceaselessly,  from  top  to  bottom  of  .the 
house ;  yet  the  place  is  unnaturally  still  without  her  voice.  I 
asked  her  to  sing  a  favorite  air  for  me  the  other  night.  She 
hesitated,  stammered,  then  made  the  attempt,  fluttered  feebly 
through  a  few  bars,  and  broke  down  lamentably.  She  suffers 
intensely,  —  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  that,  —  as  much  as  it  is  in 
her  puny,  undeveloped  nature  to  suffer.  Well,  let  her  :  the  law 
of  compensation  ordains  that  this  shall  be  so.  Shall  my  teeth 
be  forever  on  edge  from  the  sour  grapes  which  my  forefathers 
have  eaten,  and  all  the  sweet  be  given  her? 

While  these  thoughts,  and  others  like  them,  were  passing 
through  my  brain,  a  negro,  mounted  upon  a  bare-backed  mule, 
came  tearing  dowTi  the  avenue,  and  dashed  around  the  house- 
yard  toward  the  servants'  quarters. 


SUNNYBANK.  211 

"  Sister,  that  was  Albert !  "  exclaimed  Carrie.  "  Yf  hat  do 
you  think  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  dear.     Probably  he  forgot  something  when 
he  went  to  work  this  morning.     Well,  Susan,  what  is  it?" 
'  'A  colored  girl  had  run  out  to  us  from  the  hall,  in  complexion 
the  color  of  ashes,  her  teeth  chattering,  and  eyeballs  protruding 
with  terror. 

"  De  Yankees  is  comin'.  Miss  Elinor,  —  de  whole  army  ! " 

"  You  are  a  deceitful  creature,"  I  said,  coolly.  "  In  your 
heart,  you  are  delighted.  You  had  better  go  to  work  and  pack 
up  your  best  clothes,  and  whatever  you  like  of  Miss  Elinor's  and 
mine,  so  that  you  can  be  off  with  your  deliverers  and  friends  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment." 

"  Agatha,"  said  Elinor,  rebukingly,  "  you  should  not  say 
such  things  to  a  good,  faithful  girl.  There  is  no  cause  of 
alarm,  Susan.     Where  is  your  master  ?  " 

He  was  nearer  at  hand  than  we  had  supposed.  As  his 
daughter  spoke,  he  stepped  out  upon  the  porch. 

"  I  have  questioned  Albert,"  he  said,  with  no  appearance  of 
disquietude.  "  From  his  statement,  I  think  that  a  large  body 
of  cavalry  must  be  bearing  down  upon  us  from  the  river  road. 
As  you  say,  Elinor,  there  appears  to  be  no  occasion  for  fear. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  we  have  a  nearer  view  of  them  than  we 
shall  get  as  they  march  by  the  upper  gate.  I  apprehend  noth- 
ing from  the  approach  of  disciplined  troops,  if  their  officers  are 
with  them,  as  must  be  the  case  with  these.  Albert  tells  me 
that  Will,  at  the  first  alarm,  ordered  the  horses  to  be  taken 
from  the  ploughs  and  wagons,  and  sent  them  off  to  the  maple 
swamp.  It  was  a  prudent  step ;  but  I  do  not  know  that  the 
precaution  was  needful." 

Pretty  soon,  the  head  of  the  dark-blue  column  became  visible 
at  the  top  of  the  rising  ground  toward  the  river.  At  this  point, 
the  highway  forks  into  two  roads,  one  leading  past  the  gate, 
which  is  the  outermost  entrance  to  the  plantation  ;  the  other 
diverging  toward  the  village  and  railroad  depot.  Our  suspense 
did  not  last  long.     Within  ten  minutes  after  we  had  our  first 


212  SUNNYBANK. 

glimpse  of  them,  the  avenue  was  filled  with  mounted  men, 
ridinsj  at  a  slow  trot  in  the  direction  of  the  house.  Elinor  and 
I  had  left  the  piazza,  as  it  became  evident  that  we  were  to  be 
favored  with  a  visit,  and  joined  Mrs.  Lacy  at  the  parlor  window. 
None  of  us  offered  any  remark  upon  the  scene  before  us ;  but 
the  thoughts  of  all  must  have  been  busy.  The  quaint  home- 
stead with  its  aspect  of  peaceful  comfort,  the  well-kept  grounds, 
fine  trees  and  rich  fields  surrounding  it,  appeared  to  win  the 
admiring  or  covetous  regards  of  the  foremost  of  the  troop, 
judging  from  their  gestures  and  so  much  of  their  faces  as  we 
could  see  beneath  their  caps  and  above  their  beards.  Next 
the  vanguard  was  borne  a  broad,  gay,  flaunting  Yankee  flag  — 
a  sight  that  gave  a  strange  thrill  to  those  who  had  not  seen  one 
thus  boldly  displayed  in  many  months.  The  double-leaved  gate 
of  the  yard  stood  open,  and  the  leaders  of  the  line  rode  straight 
through  it  up  to  the  steps  where  Mr.  Lacy  was  yet  standing. 
He  bowed  in  reply  to  the  slight  salute  of  the  principal  oflicer  — 
a  Colonel  —  who,  without  offering  to  alight,  made  his  business 
known.  He  wanted  food  for  man  and  beast ;  was  willing  to 
pay  a  reasonable  price  for  what  his  men  ate,  if  Mr.  Lacy 
would  accept  it,  —  if  not,  they  must  have  the  food.  The 
men  and  horses  were  hungiy,  and  they  had  a  long  march 
before  them. 

I  could  see  that  the  manner,  even  more  than  the  terms,  of 
the  proposal  irked  Milord.  He  made  answer,  that  he  had  not 
the  power  to  prevent  them  from  appropriating  the  contents  of 
his  storehouses 'and  barns  to  their  use,  if  they  were  disposed  to 
do  this,  but  that  it  was  impossible  for  these  to  satisfy  the  wants 
of  so  large  a  force.  There  must  have  been  three  or  four  hun- 
dred of  them. 

"  Very  well,"  was  the  response  ;  "  we  can  make  it  go  as  far 
as  it  will." 

He  threw  his  leg  over  the  pommel  as  he  spoke,  and  dis- 
mounted slowly  ;  stamped  his  boots  upon  the  gravel  walk  to  rid 
his  feet  of  the  numbness  caused  by  long  riding,  and  walked 
stiffly  up  the  steps,  followed  by  his  staff". 


SUNNYBANK.  213 

"  You  are  a  Uuion  man,  I  have  been  told?  "  he  said,  address- 
incc  the  master  of  the  house. 

"  I  am,  if  you  mean  by  that  one  who  did  his  utmost  to  pre- 
vent the  secession  of  the  Southern  States  from  the  Federal 
Union,  and  who  must  ever  regret  that  separation." 

"  Exactly  !  "  sneeringly.  "  If  the  appearance  of  your  plan- 
tation speaks  truly,  your  Unionism  has  been  a  first-rate  specu- 
lation. But  how  did  it  happen  that  a  party  of  National  troops 
was  fired  upon  last  winter  from  behind  your  lawn  palings,  from 
your  very  windows,  too,  I  have  been  told,  —  several  wounded, 
and  one  or  more  left  prisoners  in  your  hands  ?  My  information 
is  correct  —  is  it  not  ?  " 

"I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  attack  or  the  repulse,"  an- 
swered Mr.  Lacy.  "  A  company  of  Confederate  cavalry  en- 
camped over  night  upon  my  premises,  as  Federal  troops  had 
done  before  them.  A  reconnoissance  was  made  during  the 
nio-ht  by  the  party  you  have  mentioned,  and  a  fight  ensued. 
No  man  deplored  the  mishap  more  sincerely  than  I  did." 

"  And  the  prisoners  :  you  forwarded  them  dutifully  to  Rich- 
mond, I  suppose  ?  " 

"  But  one  Federal  soldier  was  left  behind  by  the  retiring 
party.  He  was  mortally  wounded,  and  died  within  the  week,  in 
my  house." 

''  More  likely  he  was  starved  to  death  in  your  dog-kennel," 
retorted  the  other,  offensively.  ''  We  begin  to  understand  by 
this  time  what  are  the  tender  mercies  you  of  the  chivalry  show 
to  wounded  men  and  captives.  Another  question,  Mr.  Union- 
ist !  Have  you,  or  have  you  not,  two  sons  in  the  rebel  army?  " 

"  I  have." 

"  Officers  —  are  they  not  ?  " 

"  You  are  right." 

"  They  entered  the  service  with  your  permission?" 

"  They  did  not." 

"  Indeed  !  But  you  entertain  them  and  their  comrades  dur- 
ing their  furloughs?  You  do  not  forbid  them  your  house, 
because  they  happen,  unluckily,  to  be  traitors  ?  " 


214  SUNNYBANK. 

"  I  treat  them  as  any  other  father  should  treat  two  sons  who 
have  never  failed  in  filial  duty,  whatever  may  be  their  political 
errors." 

"  All  very  fine  —  entirely  satisfactory  !  That  is  a  neat  way 
of  saying  that  you  give  all  the  aid  and  comfort  you  can  to  the 
rebels,  while  you  play  loyal  to  keep  out  of  our  clutches.  It  is 
wonderful"  —  with  a  laugh  and  an  oath,  turning  to  his  staff — 
*'  how  many  Union  men  we  find,  where  the  rebs  have  not  been 
able  to  scare  up  one.  Sly  old  foxes  they  must  be,  or  they 
would  have  seen  the  inside  of  Castle  Thunder  months  ago. 
Why,  if  we  are  to  credit  one  half  of  what  they  say,  the  ordi- 
nance of  Secession  would  not  have  stood  the  ghost  of  a  chance, 
had  the  people  been  allowed  to  vote  for  it.  That  is  your  opinion 
—  isn't  it  ?  "  again  to  Mr.  Lacy. 

"  You  would  not  believe  me  if  I  were  to  assert  it,"  rejoined 
that  gentleman,  with  no  show  of  temper  or  abatement  of 
dignity. 

Another  oath,  and,  — 

*'  That's  the  truest  word  you've  spoken  yet !  Well,  my  good 
Union  brother,  we  are  here  for  the  express  purpose  of  affording 
you  an  opportunity  of  proving  your  love  for  the  old  flag. 
You  should  be  willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  service  of 
your  country.  My  men  want  a  lunch,  and  you  will  please  see 
that  it  is  gotten  ready,  for  they  are  deucedly  impatient ;  and 
they  have  an  awkward  trick  of  helping  themselves,  if  they  are 
not  waited  upon  promptly." 

He  drew  forward  my  rocking-chair  as  he  spoke,  and  threw 
his  unwieldy  frame  into  it  with  a  force  that  made  it  creak  and 
groan  again. 

He  was  a  coarse-featured  man,  flashy  as  to  uniform,  impu- 
dent as  to  bearing,  and  was,  I  more  than  suspected,  two  thirds 
drunk.  His  staff,  with  a  single  exception,  imitated  their  chief, 
and  sought  their  ease  in  various  postures,  more  comfortable 
than  graceful ;  some  sitting  upon  the  porch  steps,  others  upon 
the  railing,  others  still  upon  chairs  abstracted  from  the  hall. 
The  honorable  exception  was  one  whom  I  had  singled  out,  at 


SUNNYBANK.  215 

sight,  as  the  solitary  gentleman  of  the  party.  He  was  about 
forty  years  of  age  —  tall  and  fine-looking,  and  wore  the  neat 
dress  of  an  army  Chaplain.  While  the  foregoing  conversation 
was  in  progress,  he  had  remained  silent,  although  deeply  inter- 
ested, —  his  countenance  showing  plainly  in  whose  behalf  his 
sympathies  were  engaged.  When  Mr.  Lacy  reentered  the 
house,  he  followed  him,  overtaking  him  at  the  parlor  door. 

"  Allow  me  a  single  word,  sir?" 

Perceiving  our  presence,  and  divining  from  our  position  that 
we  had  been  unseen  witnesses  of  the  scene  without,  he  bowed, 
removed  his  cap,  and  directed  his  apology  to  us  more  than  to 
-the  host. 

"  I  can  make  no  reasonable  excuse  for  the  gross  insult  of- 
fered you,  Mr.  Lacy !  It  is  dastardly  and  infamous !  The 
only  extenuation  of  the  conduct  of  my  superior  officer  is  his 
condition.  You  must  have  observed  that  he  is  partially  intoxi- 
cated. I  beg  you  to  believe,  however,  that  low  as  may  be  the 
state  of  morals  among  the  subordinates  of  such  a  commander, 
you  will  not  be  subjected  to  personal  violence,  or  your  house  to 
robbery,  other  than  the  wholesale  order  for  provisions  and  for- 
age already  issued.  If  I  could  protect  you  from  this,  I  would 
do  so ;  but  this  is  beyond  my  power.  Whatever  influence  I 
have  with  the  regiment  shall  be  exerted  to  spare  you  further 
trouble." 

Mr.  Lacy  held  out  his  hand,  which  was  taken  as  frankly. 

"  I  believe  you,  sir,  and  thank  you  !  I  was  not  altogether 
unprepared  for  the  treatment  I  have  received.  The  few  re- 
maining Union  men  of  the  South  occupy  an  unfortunate  posi- 
tion in  this  war.  Like  the  cloth  under  the  shears,  they  are  the 
spoil  of  both  sides.  Allow  me  to  introduce  to  you  the  ladies 
of  my  family  —  Mrs.  Lacy  —  Miss  Lamar  —  Miss  Lacy  !  " 

The  Chaplain  saluted  us  with  more  ease  and  grace  than  I  had 
expected  to  see  in  a  Yankee  parson  ;  and  after  briefly  renewing 
his  assurances  of  protection,  he  returned  to  his  comrades. 

Another  survey  of  the  outer  scene  showed  me  the  soldiery 
falling,  pell-mell,  upon  the  cornfields  ;    tearing  ofi"  the  unripe 


216  SUNNYDANK. 

ears  for  roasting,  and  tlie  crrcen  fodder  for  their  horses  ;  throng- 
ing the  barn-yard,  in  que?',  of  other  provender  ;  and  leaping  the 
garden  palings,  in  sqcJod?  of  twos,  threes,  and  fours,  in  preda- 
tory excursions  after  <he  fresh  vegetables,  which  were  not  daily 
luxuries  in  their  ''^•Pip  life.  The  negro  quarters  had  given  up 
their  population  —  from  the  blind  patriarch  of  ninety  to  the 
latest  baby  —  tc  hang  around  and  stare  at  the  lawless  crew.  A 
trusty  band  of  about  a  dozen  —  headed  by  Uncle  Will,  the 
white-haired  sachem  of  the  ebony  tribe,  and'  Mammy  Rachel, 
Mrs.  Lacy's  own  maid  —  collected  around  the  back  porch  to 
ask  counsel  of  their  master,  as  to  what  measures  could  be 
adopted  to  rescue  some  scanty  portion  of  the  lately  bountiful 
produce  of  the  plantation  from  the  horde  of  blue-coated  locusts. 
The  conference  was  interrupted  by  the  approach  of  the  Chap- 
lain, at  sight  of  whom  the  discontented  servants  drew  back 
sullenly.  It  was  clear  that  they  regarded  the  cordial  respect 
with  which  Mr.  Lacy  listened  to  what  he  had  to  say,  as  un- 
manly conciliation  of  the  oppressors.  The  Chaplain's  advice 
was  sound,  nevertheless.  He  had  been  talking  with  the  inebri- 
ated Colonel,  and  others  of  the  staff,  and  was  prepared  with 
the  draught  of  a  proposal  by  which  the  house  and  all  that  it 
held  should  be  preserved  from  the  general  ransacking.  The 
superior  w^as  a  glutton  as  well  as  a  wine-bibber,  and  the  Chap- 
lain had  his  promise  that,  beside  himself  and  his  immediate 
attendants,  not  a  soldier  should  enter  the  mansion  during  their 
stay,  if  a  liberal  meal  were  provided  for  the  privileged  few 
without  loss  of  time. 

The  airs  that  brute  gave  himself,  that  forenoon,  were  ludi- 
crous and  disgusting  beyond  any  description  I  can  offer.  When 
the  sun  got  around  to  the  porch,  he  retreated  to  the  parlor, 
where  he  held  his  court,  until  dinner  was  announced,  smoking, 
drinkino-,  and  talking  boisterously  with  the  choice  spirits  he  had 
convened  about  him.  Mr.  Lacy  had  ordered  us  above  stairs, 
before  this  invasion  of  the  interior  ;  but  from  the  upper  landing 
I  had  a  tolerable  view  of  all  that  passed  below,  both  within 
and  outside   of  the    house.      While   the    commanding  officer 


SUNNYBANK.  217 

recreated  himself  in  the  drawing-room,  phmder  and  rollicking 
were  the  order  of  the  hour,  in  lawn,  orchard,  meat-house,  and 
servants'  quarters.  Some  of  the  incidents  which  I  observed 
from  my  lookout  were  pitiful,  —  more  amusing.  Each  of  the 
larger,  or  family-quarters,  had  a  small  garden  and  hen-house 
at  the  rear,  kept,  under  Mr.  Lacy's  strict  rules,  in  good  order, 
and  yielding,  in  many  instances,  a  considerable  revenue  to  the 
owners  thereof,  —  the  village  oiFering  a  fair  market  for  eggs, 
chickens,  sweet-potatoes,  ground  peas  (which  benighted  Yan- 
kees call  peanuts),  and  the  like.  These  petty  domains  the 
so-called  deliverers  of  the  oppressed  race  took  especial  delight 
in  ravaging.  Dusky  faces  grew  grim,  many  tearful,  as 
the  necks  of  their  pet  poultry  were  wrung  by  the  score,  and 
their  pigs  squealed  their  last  under  the  knives  of  the  Yankee 
butchers. 

Presently  there  strutted  across  the  yard  a  burly  Irishman, 
with  a  hoop-skirt  buckled  about  his  waist,  and  hitting  his  knees 
at  each  step,  a  many-colored  shawl  drawn  over  his  dirty 
jacket,  and  upon  his  head  poor  Susan's  best  bonnet,  which  had 
been  worn  by  herself,  for  the  first  and  only  time,  the  previous 
Sunday  —  a  smart,  dressy  affair,  purchased  with  a  pocketful 
of  Confederate  bills  —  the  hoardings  of  a  whole  year.  At  his 
heels  hung  the  disconsolate  mistress  of  the  millinery,  crying 
bitterly,  and  holding  out  the  empty  band-box,  in  vain  supplica- 
tion for  the  return  of  her  treasure.  While  this  pantomime  was 
being  enacted,  a  comrade  of  the  gay  Hibernian  passed,  leading 
his  horse,  with  a  bag  of  stolen  oats  lying  across  the  saddle. 
"Without  the  form  of  parley,  he  snatched  the  band-box  from  the 
girl,  set  it  upon  the  ground,  and  filled  it  with  oats  for  his  horse's 
dinner.  Susan  gave  a  scream,  and  would  have  launched  her- 
self bodily  upon  her  desecrated  property,  but  the  wearer  of 
the  bonnet  prevented  her  by  passing  his  brawny  arm  about  her 
waist,  retaining  her  in  his  grasp,  until  her  shrieks  drew  the 
attention  of  the  Chaplain.  One  stride  from  the  porch  brought 
him  within  speaking  distance  of  the  trio,  and  while  the  rescued 
girl  fled  to  her  mother's  cabin,  the  indignant  divine  harangued 
19 


218  SUNNYBANK. 

the  sulky  pair  of  National  defenders,  with  gestures  few,  but 
sternly  expressive.  His  interference  in  other  cases  was 
prompt,  and  sometimes  salutary  ;  but  what  could  one  man  do, 
let  his  character  or  position  be  what  it  might,  among  a  gang  of 
ruffianly  soldiery,  the  principle  of  whose  Colonel  was,  that  it 
was  not  only  lawful,  but  praiseworthy,  to  do  the  enemy's  terri- 
tory all  the  mischief  practicable  ?  The  ice-house  was  entered, 
and  shining  blocks  of  the  precious  hoard  were  scattered  all  over 
the  yard,  leaking  away  their  life  under  the  August  sun  ;  the 
flower-borders  were  overrun,  in  the  hot  race  for  fruits  and  vege- 
tables ;  choice  peaches,  and  early  apples,  and  bunches  of  unripe 
grapes,  were  stripped  from  bough  and  trellis  in  a  spirit  of  wan- 
ton destruction  that  would  have  disgraced  a  pack  of  vicious 
schoolboys. 

And  all  tliis  while  —  as  I  kept  thinking,  ever  and  anon  — 
the  dead  Yankee  soldigr,  who  had  been  nursed  like  a  son  of 
the  house,  slept  in  the  family  burying-ground,  within  hearing 
of  the  rude  merriment  of  his  former  comrades,  had  not  his  ear 
been  dulled  for  all  time  !  Then  I  speculated  amusedly,  whether, 
in  beholding  this  spoliation  of  his  worldly  goods.  Milord  did 
not  repent  him  of  his  Union  experiment.  It  was  as  if  the  de- 
stroying hosts  of  Egypt  had  overtaken  the  murmuring  Israelites, 
just  when  they  were  whining  for  the  leeks  and  onions  of  the 
goodly  laud  of  their  captivity.  Whatever  were  his  private 
meditations,  he  showed  the  robbers  an  undaunted  front. 
Whether  he  paced  the  back  porch  in  company  w4th  the  Chap- 
lain, or  passed  from  room  to  room  to  second  his  wife's  orders 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  self-invited  party,  or  summoned  a 
servant  to  perform  the  behest  of  the  burly  Colonel,  when  his 
roars  for  ice-water,  mint,  tobacco,  and  brandy  sounded  through 
the  staid  old  hall,  and  awakened  astonished  echoes  upon  the 
oaken  staircase, — everywhere,  and  at  all  seasons,  his  step  was 
firm  and  equal ;  his  voice  calmly  authoritative,  as  when  sur- 
rounded, as  of  yore,  by  loving  and  obedient  subjects  ;  undis- 
puted lord  of  the  estate  and  those  Avho  dwelt  thereupon.  I  was 
never  partial  to  him,  nor  he  to  me  ;  but  his  behavior  upon  this 


SUNNYBANK.  219 

trying  day  would  have  done  credit  to  a  Lacedasmonian  Chester- 
Held. 

At  last,  dinner  was  served,  and,  as  I  heard  from  Susan,  Mr. 
Lacy  sat  at  the  head  of  his  table  and  carved  for  his  guests  well 
and  generously,  as  if  he  had  been  feasting  a  select  company 
of  friends.  The  Chaplain  —  "the  Captain,"  Susan  insisted 
upon  dubbing  him  —  sat  at  his  right  hand,  and,  aided  by  two  or 
three  officers,  who  preserved  some  show  of  good  manners,  pre- 
vented the  meal  from  degenerating  into  a  greedy  scramble  for 
food. 

"  But  dat  Colonel !'  he  beats  all !  "  said  Susan,  her  black 
eyes  saucer-like  from  the  excitement  of  the  day.  "  He  is  settin* 
at  de  foot  of  de  table,  wid  a  brandy  bottle  on  each  side  on  him, 
and  for  every  mouthful  he  eats,  he  takes  two  drinks.  He  must 
be  pretty  nigh  soaked  through  by  dis  time,  big  as  he  is.  I 
hope  he  won't  be  able  to  set  on  his  horse,  when  he  starts  ;  and 
as  for  dem  two  fellers  what  took  my  bonnet  and  band-box, 
there's  a  rope  growin'  somewhar  for  dem  —  sure  !  LoAv-lived 
white  folks  always  was  despisable  in  my  sight,  and  I  hates  'em 
wuss'n  ever  now  !  I  done  had  'nuff  of  Yankees  —  I  has  ! 
Talk  'bout  freedom  !  What  I  want  wid  freedom,  ef  I  got  to 
live  long  sech  as  dem  ! " 

It  was  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  horses  and  men 
were  pronounced  fresh  enough  to  proceed  farther  in  the  service 
of  their  country.  Elinor  and  I  overlooked  the  rabble  from  the 
upper  hall  window.  I  was  busied  with  the  inspection  of  some 
of  the  more  distant  scenes,  when  a  low  exclamation  from  her 
made  me  start.  An  orderly  was  leading  a  horse  into  the  yard, 
which  I  recognized  as  Elinor's  pet,  Elfie  —  so  named  by  Miss 
Morris,  on  account  of  a  fancied  resemblance  between  her  and 
her  mistress.  She  was  a  spirited  creature, — not  large,  but 
elegantly  formed  ;  brov/n  and  silky  of  coat,  perfect  in  gait,  irre- 
proachable as  to  pedigree.  Elinor  loved  her  as  if  she  had  been 
human,  and  I  saw  that  she  was  deadly  pale  at  sight  of  her  in 
a  stranger's  custody.  We  leaned  from  the  window  to  hear 
what  followed.     We  gathered  that  the  Colonel's  horse  was  sick 


220  SUNNYBANK. 

in  consequence  of  an  overfeed  of  green  fodder,  and  incapable  of 
carrying  his  master.  The  latter  raged,  and  blustered,  and  swore 
at  the  stupidity  of  the  groom,  at  the  orderly  who  had  witnessed 
the  feeding,  —  at  everything  and  everybody,  excepting  himself 
and  his  drunkenness.  He  had,  it  appeared,  made  a  personal 
examination  of  the  few  animals  standing  in  the  stables  —  to 
wit,  the  carriage-horses,  a  restive  colt,  and  Elfie,  and  decided 
the  last  to  be  the  only  thing  worthy  of  bearing  his  illustrious 
corporeality. 

I  had  not  heard  Mr.  Lacy  utter  a  remonstrance  against  any 
trespass,  however  aggravating,  until  now  —  but  he  pressed  for- 
ward to  the  spot  where  the  tipsy  brute  was  getting  himself  suf- 
ficiently steady  upon  his  feet  to  mount  his  new  steed,  and 
accosted  him.  We  could  not  catch  all  he  said,  but  we  gleaned 
the  sense  of  his  proposition,  which  was  to  furnish  the  Colonel 
with  a  larger  and  more  serviceable  animal,  if  he  would  relin- 
quish the  idea  of  taking  Elfie.  The  offer  was  scouted  disdain- 
fully. 

"  I  know  a  capital  bit  of  (hie  !)  horseflesh  when  I  see  it,  if 
I  am  a  (hie !  and  an  oath)  Yankee !  "  said  this  image  of  his 
Maker.  "And  this  is  the  (hie!)  nicest  thing  I  have  seen 
upon  (hie!)  hoofs  for  a  month  of  Sundays.  Bring  her  closer 
—  can't  you  !  " 

Another  volley  of  objurgations  at  the  orderly,  who  tried  to 
drag  Elfie  up  to  her  future  proprietor.  The  mare  planted  her 
fore-feet  firmly  in  the  turf,  and  pulled  back  —  her  intelligent 
eyes  showing  dislike  and  revolt,  plainly  as  words  could  have 
done.  Finding  her  obstinate,  the  orderly  raised  his  heavy 
riding-whip,  and  struck  her  sharply  upon  the  flank. 

A  stifled  scream  escaped  Elinor. 

"  O,  my  poor  pet  I  my  gentle,  loving  little  Elfie  !  "  she  cried  ; 
and  kneeling  at  the  window-seat,  she  covered  her  eyes  with  her 
fingers,  to  shut  out  the  sight,  and  sobbed  as  if  her  heart  were 
breaking. 

Before  she  ventured  another  look,  the  entire  line  was  in 
motion  ;  the  head  of  the  train  already  winding  into  the  village 


SUNNYBANK.  221 

road,  the  star-spangled  banner  flaunting  insolently  beneath  the 
giant  Virginia  oaks,  that  seemed  to  contemplate  the  pageant 
with  solemn  contempt.  I  think  that  I  could  go  down  to  my 
grave  in  perfect  peace  of  mind  and  heart  if  the  only  thing 
denied  me  were  the  boon  of  once  again  living  beneath  the  folds 
of  that  gaudy  rag.  A  raid  or  two  more,  and  I  shall  become  a 
ravenous  salamander,  in  comparison  with  the  most  rabid  of  my 
fellow  fire-eaters. 

They  were  gone  —  and  Mr.  Lacy's  voice  was  heard  in  the 
lower  hall,  —  sorrowfully  compassionate. 

"  Ida  —  love  !  where  is  our  poor  child? " 

Elinor  sprang  to  her  feet  and  hurried  down.  I  peeped  over 
the  balusters  at  the  meeting,  anticipating  a  renewed  burst  of 
sentimental  lamentation  —  a  second  edition  of  Sterne's  jeremiade 
over  the  dead  donkey.  I  was  cheated.  She  went  bravely  up 
to  her  father  —  head  erect,  and  a  smile  upon  her  face. 

"You  are  grieving  over  Elfie's  loss  —  are  you  not,  Papa? 
She  was  a  dear  little  thing,  and  I  was  fond  of  her  —  but  in 
reality,  she  was  the  least  useful  horse  upon  the  plantation.  She 
could  not  work,  and  nobody  ever  rode  her  but  me ;  and  I  so 
seldom  go  on  horseback  nowadays !  You  must  not  be  dis- 
tressed on  my  account,  for  I  am  bearing  it  very  well.  Our 
lives  and  home  are  spared.  We  have  much  to  be  thankful 
for." 

Her  father  kissed  her,  drew  the  brown  head  to  his  bosom 
and  stroked  it,  smiling  down  at  her,  while  his  lip  quivered. 

"  You  are  the  bravest  girl  living !  We  have  had  a  severe 
ordeal  to-day,  dear,  but  the  gleam  of  light  is  not  wanting  to  the 
cloud.     Our  kind  protector,  the  Chaplain " 

At  this  point,  old  Rachel  came  up  the  stairs,  and  not  choosing 
to  be  detected  in  eavesdropping  by  a  servant,  I  abandoned  my 
post  of  observation.  I  lost  nothing,  I  fancy,  beside  the  re- 
cital of  the  Chaplain's  good  deeds,  which,  after  all,  were  but  acts 
of  common  humanity,  intensified  into  shining  benevolence  by 
contrast  with  the  double-dyed  rascality  of  his  associates. 

The  sun  set  in  purple  glory,  rounding  off  a  perfect  summer's 
19* 


222  SUNNYBANK. 

day  ;  but  the  serene  beauty  of  cloud,  sky,  and  river  made  more 
repulsive  the  blight,  and  havoc,  and  cheerless  disorder  pervading 
the  premises.  Personally,  I  have  not  been  injured,  nor  are  the 
sufferers  from  this  rutliless  vandalism  so  dearly  beloved  by  me 
that  I  must  needs  be  afflicted  in  their  afflictions.  But  v^'ere  I 
their  bitter  enemy,  —  and  I  do  not  say  that  the  supposition  is 
far-fetched,  —  I  must  have  sighed  over  the  waste  left  in  the  track 
of  the  invading  host.  Not  a  stalk  of  corn  remained  upright  in 
the  broad  acres  rolling  down  to  the  river's  brim,  and  on  the 
hill-side,  upon  the  other  hand,  an  extensive  field  of  tobacco  had 
shared  the  like  fate  —  a  piece  of  malicious  mischief,  done  for 
mischief's  sake,  since  not  even  a  Yankee,  or  a  Yankee's  horse, 
can  chew  green  tobacco.  The  barn-lofts  yawned  emptily  ;  the 
meat-house  had  been  thoroughly  cleaned  out ;  all  the  butter  and 
milk  carried  off  from  the  dairy  ;  churns  broken  and  milk-pans 
crushed  into  uselessness.  The  garden  was  cut  up  as  by  the 
hoofs  of  a  herd  of  wild  horses,  and  the  fine  orchard,  on  which 
the  labor  and  care  of  many  years  have  been  expended,  looked 
as  if  a  tornado  had  swept  through  it. 

The  Lacys  are  remarkable  people  in  their  way,  and  one  of 
these  ways  is  &.  penchant  for  self-devotion,  —  the  immolation  of 
one's  ©wn  likes  and  feelings,  that  the  comfort  and  happiness  of 
others  may  be  secured,  —  provided  these  others  are  of  their 
name  and  kin.  They  delude  themselves  into  the  belief  that  this 
is  very  noble  —  touching  the  sublime,  indeed  ;  but  I,  a  dispas- 
sionate looker-on,  pronounce  it  to  be  nothing  better  than  ethereal 
selfishness,  refined  humbug,  and  exalted  foolery.  For  example, 
when  we  gathered  around  the  tea-table,  in  place  of  a  decorous 
seriousness  under  the  calamities  that  had  befallen  them,  there 
was  an  elaborate  effort  after  gay  nonchalance,  while  they  re- 
counted their  losses.     My  Lady  led  off. 

"  What  was  the  name  of  that  old  lady  —  one  of  the  heroines 
of  1776,  who,  after  her  farm  had  been  visited  by  the  British, 
found,  hidden  in  a  snug  corner,  an  ancient  rooster,  the  sole  relic 
of  her  populous  poultry-yard,  and  forthwith  mounted  a  negro 
upon  a  horse,  and  sent  him  after  the  foraging  party,  with  the 


SUNNYBANK.  223 

fowl  and  her  compliments,  saying  that  they  had  overlooked  it  ? 
Rachel  tells  me  the  oldest  duck  on  the  plantation  secreted  her- 
self under  her  bed  at  the  earliest  onslaught  upon  the  fowls,  and 
did  not  quit  her  shelter  until  sunset.  Would  the  plagiarism  be  too 
barefaced,  if  I  were  to  despatch  Albert  with  it  and  my  respects 
to  our  acquaintance,  the  Cplonel?" 

"  You  might  try  it,  if  you  could  be  sure  of  not  losing  negro 
and  horse  along  with  the  duck,  by  your  witty  experiment,"  said 
her  husband.  "  It  was  a  happy  circumstance  that  the  cows 
were  sent  to  the  far  pasture,  this  morning,  and  so  escaped 
notice." 

"And  that  Uncle  Will  was  so  prudent  as  to  conceal  the 
hordes,"  remarked  Elinor,  lightly ;  as  if  I  had  not  witnessed  her 
grief  at  the  maltreatment  of  her  favorite,  and  it  cost  her  no 
pain  to  refer  to  the  horse-thieving  proclivities  of  her  compa- 
triots. 

"  We  are  deeply  indebted  to  the  Chaplain  for  the  security  of 
the  house  and  contents,"  was  Mr.  Lacy's  next  thanksgiving. 
''  He  is  a  noble  fellow  !  It  is  a  pity  he  is  condemned  to  such 
uncongenial  associations." 

I  deemed  it  time  for  me  to  have  my  say. 

"  Hi's  ministrations  do  not  seem  to  have  been  blessed  to  the 
moral  improvement  of  his  flock.  I  should  recommend  a  course 
of  practical  sermons  upon  the  eighth  and  tenth  command- 
ments, profusely  illustrated  from  life." 

And,  as  a  further  contribution  to  the  general  hilarity,  I  sup- 
plied an  embellished  description  of  the  scene  of  Susan  and  her 
bonnet.  They  all  laughed,  and  then  ensued  more  praises  of  the 
Chaplain.  It  transpired,  in  the  course  of  this,  that  he  had 
promised  to  call  and  spend  a  night  here  on  his  way  back  to 
headquarters.  The  main  portion  of  the  expedition  will  return 
by  another  route.  His  Reverence  is  no  simpleton.  The  efforts 
he  put  forth  in  our  behalf  have  elevated  him  to  the  dignity  of 
heroship  —  a  cheap  price  to  pay  for  the  honor. 

Reports  have  been  arriving  all  day  of  the  doughty  doings  of 
our  knights  in  blue.    They  supped  and  spent  the  night  at  Jame? 


224  SUNNYBANK. 

Kingston's.  "Wouldn't  I  like  to  see  and  hear  Miss  Hetty  upon 
the  event? 

"  They  picked  up  everything  that  was  loose  upon  the  place  ! " 
said  the  old  man,  who  stopped  at  the  gate  to  tell  the  tale. 

"  Then  Miss  Hetty's  teeth  had  no  chance  of  escape ! "  I 
remarked,  sotto  voce^  to  Mrs.  Lacy  and  Elinor ;  whereat  thej 
laughed,  as  I  have  never  succeeded  in  making  them  do  at  more 
refined  sallies. 

They  do  not  like  Miss  Hetty. 


SUNNYBANK.  225 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


ELINOR. 


December  25,  1863. 

Months  have  elapsed  since  I  opened  my  journal.  I  hardly 
know  myself  for  the  girl  who  used  to  confide  her  trifling  joys 
and  griefs  to  these  pages,  who  looked  upon  this  safety-valve 
for  youthful  enthusiasm  and  sentimental  fancies  as  a  friend  and 
comforter,  whose  patient  sympathy  was  unfailing,  and  akin  to 
human  companionship. 

I  am  out  of  the  habit  of  writing  or  talking  freely.  The  last 
letter  I  ever  wrote  was  to  Harry.  I  intrusted  it  to  the  Chap- 
lain, Mr.  Emory,  who  was  kind  to  us  in  the  time  of  the  raid  in 
August.  Papa,  mindful  of  my  happiness  amid  the  distressing 
circumstances  of  his  situation  on  that  day,  asked  this  gentleman 
if  he  would  take  charge  of  letters  to  a  friend  of  his,  an  officer 
in  the  Federal  army.  He  consented  cheerfully,  and  although 
we  were  ignorant  of  Harry's  exact  address,  we  made  up  a 
package  of  three  letters,  and  intrusted  them  to  the  friend  and 
messenger  at  his  second  call,  two  days  after  the  raid.  I  wrote 
unreservedly  and  at  length.  I  felt  that  Harry  stood  in  greater 
need  than  ever  before  of  all  the  affection  and  confidence  I  could 
bestow.  I  told  him  that  my  love  was  not  lessened,  nor  had  my 
faith  in  his  integrity  swerved  on  account  of  his  enlistment ; 
that  my  prayers  attended  him  continually  in  the  persuasion  that 
he  had  not  engaged  in  a  work  upon  which  he  could  not  ask 
the  blessing  of  Heaven,  and  that  my  parents  united  with  me  in 
deciding  that  the  hearts  God  had  joined  together  were  not  to  be 
put  asunder  by  any  arbitrary  issues  of  man's  devising.  I 
afiected  no  girlish  shyness.     I  wrote  fondly  and  solemnly,  and 


226  SUNNYBANK. 

more  hopefully  than  I  really  felt  when  I  reflected  upon  the  thou- 
sand chances  that  might  delay  our  meeting. 

"  For  meet  we  shall  in  God's  own  good  time,"  he  had  writ- 
ten in  the  one  precious  letter  that  reached  me  last  year. 

And  we  shall  —  only  —  how  long  ?  how  long  ? 

It  was  a  month — just  a  month  to  the  day  —  upon  the  17th 
of  September  —  when  we  received  a  communication  from  Mr. 
Emory.  I  was  unusually  blithe  in  spirit  that  day.  The 
weather  was  fine,  and  I  had  been  at  work  among  my  flowers 
during  most  of  the  forenoon  ;  had  just  gathered  a  bouquet  of 
wall-flowers  and  tea-roses  to  take  in  to  Mamma.  I  was  walk- 
ing slowly  toward  the  house,  looking  down  at  these,  and,  now 
and  then,  burying  my  face  in  their  fragrant  clusters,  when  Papa 
spoke  my  name.  I  shall  never  inhale  the  perfume  of  roses 
again  without  a  return  of  the  sick,  dizzy  feeling  that  rushed 
over  me,  as  I  saw  him,  within  reach  of  me  in  the  path,  pale  and 
sorrowful,  gazing  at  me  with  loving  eyes  that  could  scarcely 
see  me  for  the  tears.  I  could  not  utter  a  question  ;  but  he  put 
his  arm  around  me,  and  supported  me  into  the  house,  where 
Mamma  met  me,  and  took  me  to  her  bosom.  By  and  by  they 
showed  me  the  Chaplain's  letter.  He  had  been  at  'great  pains 
to  discover  Harry's  address,  that  he  might  forward  the  packet 
confided  to  his  care.  He  "  could  hear  nothinor  of  him  for  a  lon^ 
while,  but  finally  met  an  officer  who  belonged  to  the  same  regi- 
ment with,  and  who  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of.  Lieutenant 
Wilton."  From  this  gentleman  he  learned  that  "  Harry  had 
fallen,  fighting  bravely  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg." 

''Shot  through  the  heart"  —  and  "  Died  instantly."  This 
was  the  writing  I  saw  for  many  nights  inscribed  in  black  char- 
acters upon  my  chamber  wall  —  this  the  irreversible,  hopeless 
sentence  that  drove  me  back  when,  madly  incredulous,  I  re- 
sorted again  and  again  to  the  fatal  letter.  Harry  had  never 
failed  in  his  word  to  any  one  alive  —  I  reasoned  in  my  delirium, 
—  and  he  had  said  that  the  hour  of  joyful  reunion  would  come  to 
us.  I  loved  him  so,  I  was  so  dear  to  him,  that  had  he  died  that 
weary  while  ago,  he  would  have  come  to  me  and  told  me.    Dead 


SUNNYBANK.  227 

in  his  nameless  grave,  while  night  and  morning,  in  each  hour 
of  the  tedious,  shadowed  days,  I  prayed  for  him,  firm  in  the 
trust,  through  absence  and  evil  report,  and  his  long  silence,  that 
his  arms  would  yet  again  enfold  me,  my  head  rest  upon  his  breast 
in  peace  !  There  was  some  horrible  mistake  —  and  thus  delud- 
ing my  shattered  senses,  I  would  fly  once  more  to  the  fighting 
lines,  and  read  anew  how  he  had  fought  and  fallen,  and  "  died 
instantly." 

One  night  I  came  to  myself.  I  had  been  ill  for  several  days, 
dimly  conscious  of  what  was  going  on  about  me,  and  partially 
oblivious,  during  some  merciful  hours,  of  my  deadly  hurt. 
Mamma  sat  near  my  bed,  reading  by  the  lamp,  whose  rays 
were  shaded  from  my  eyes.  As  she  read,  the  tears  dropped 
upon  the  book  ;  and  when  they  flowed  so  fast  as  to  blind  her, 
she  put  her  hands  before  her  face,  and  prayed  lowly  and  weep- 
ingly  for  me.  This  is  what  she  said ;  "I  hnow^  O  Lord,  that 
Thy  judgments  are  right,  and  that  Thou  in  faithfulness  hast 
afflicted  her.  Let,  I  pray  Thee,  Thy  loving  kindness  be  for 
her  comfort,  according  to  Thy  word  unto  Thy  servant.  Let 
Thy  tender  mercies  come  unto  her,  that  she  may  live.  My  soul 
fainteth  for  Thy  salvation,  but  I  hope  in  Thy  word.  Mine 
eyes  fail  for  Thy  word,  saying,  '  When  wilt  Thou  comfort 
her?"' 

"  I  hnow^  O  Lord,  that  Thou  in  faithfulness  hast  afflicted  her  ! " 
I  closed  my  eyes  and  repeated  the  words  to  myself,  until  some- 
thing of  the  holy  comfort  of  her  reliance  upon  the  Father's  lov- 
ing kindness  stole  into  my  soul  —  the  loving  kindness  in  which 
my  darling  had  trusted,  which  had  sent  to  him,  at  the  last,  a 
swift,  true  messenger  of  release  from  the  pains  and  sorrows  of 
this  present  evil  world,  instead  of  lingering  torture.  I  could 
not  yet  say,- ''  Not  my  will,  but  Thine,  be  done  !  "  but  I  did  feel 
a  feeble  stirring  of  gratitude  that  since  he  was  appointed  unto 
death,  he  had  "  died  instantly."  And  thus  did  our  Father's 
merciful  kindness  begin  to  be  for  my  comfort. 

It  is  a  blustering  Christmas  night  —  a  Christmas  that  has 
been  no  festival  to  us.     There  are  sounds  like  the  moans  of  the 


228  SUNNYBANK. 

dying  and  the  shouts  of  the  victors  upon  the  wind,  as  it  howls 
in  the  chimney  and  shakes  my  windows. 

"  And  it  saith  to  my  spirit, 
'  No  more  !  nevermore ! ' " 

Am  I  resigned  ?  Not  if  that  implies  that  I  would  not  have 
my  beloved  back  if  I  could  win  him  from  Heaven.  There, 
peace  flows  as  a  river  —  the  peace  which  seems  farther  off  than 
ever  from  our  distracted  land  —  and  love  without  dissimulation 
—  and  his  heart  was  grievously  wounded  here  by  the  cold  un- 
kindness  of  those  he  accounted  his  friends.  There  are  joys  for- 
evermore,  and  all  these  are  his,  and  things  precious  that  have 
not  entered  even  into  my  heart  to  conceive  as  elements  of  his 
blessedness  —  yet  —  yet  I  can  say  no  more  than  I  am  thankful 
my  prayers  cannot  recall  him  to  share  my  lot ;  that  the  Lord 
hath  put  it  beyond  my  power  to  bid  him  return  to  comfort  me. 
For  I  want  him  !     I  want  him  ! 

I  learned  every  one  of  his  last  words  to  my  brother  Ross  by 
heart,  long  ago.  I  study  them  oftentimes,  now,  weighing  every 
sentence,  and  continually  finding  in  them  new  cause  for  love 
and  pride  in  him.  He  lived  a  patriot-hero.  He  died  a  brave 
man's  death,  battling  for  the  land  he  loved,  which  he  believed, 
and  I  believe,  his  God  summoned  him  to  defend.  The  day  will 
come  when  it  shall  be  accounted  an  honor  to  me  that  my  be- 
trothed belonged  to  the  noble  army  of  Union  martyrs.  I  may 
not  live  to  see  it,  but  it  will  come  !  Does  this  console  me  ?  I 
am  a  sorrowful  woman,  mourning  for  the  beloved  of  her  youth. 
It  is  almost  three  years  since  I  saw  his  face,  felt  the  fond  strain 
of  his  embrace ;  and  I  shall  never  look  into  his  living  eyes 

r  jfjvnn^^s  come  home  to  pass  his  Christmas  with  us.  Ross 
couJldrnQt  he  sjjared  from  duty.  I  think  he  does  not  care  to  see 
WAJiSt^ift  wJi^ii®- :  I^®  wrote  to  me,  in  September,  a  short,  affec- 
tionate note,  beoro:in2  me  to  foro-ive  the  harsh  thino-s  he  had  said 
jofjhis  litest,  fri^j^d,^  ai?djay^^  in  his  sincere  sorrow  at  his 
^j^^th^  a,  finding /t^jjjpte.^tipf^lij^^^^^^  as  man,  friend,  and 


SUNNYBANK.  229 

Christian.  He  repeated  his  former  request  —  "  Don't  hate  me, 
Brownie  !  "  There  is  no  room  in  my  sad  spirit  for  hatred,  did 
he  deserve  it,  which  he  assuredly  does  not.  Sectional  fury 
spoke  the  w^ords  that  stabbed  Harry's  faithful  heart,  that  May 
midnight,  as  the  two  parted  on  the  banks  of  the  swollen  river, 
the  dead  thronging  their  footsteps, — parted  with  a  cold,  silent 
salute,  in  anger  and  scorn  upon  one  side  —  who  can  say  with 
what  repressed  anguish  upon  the  other?  Sectional  fury  —  not 
my  brother's  frank,  generous  nature,  that,  untouched  by  this 
baleful  fire,  would  have  disdained  to  insult  a  captive  foe,  much 
less  refuse  the  friendly  hand  of  one  whom  he  had  known  and 
trusted  in  other  days.  I  could  not  answer  his  letter,  but  Mam- 
ma did  at  my  desire. 

Lynn's  considerate  tenderness  is  an  inexpressible  comfort  to 
me.  This  morning  was  mild,  and  we  walked  down  to  the  bury- 
ing-ground  together ;  sat  there  until  near  noon,  talking,  first, 
of  the  poor  soldier  who  had  perished  so  far  from  home  and 
mother  ;  then,  of  the  thousands  of  gallant  men  sacrificed  in 
this  wacked,  causeless  war  —  finally,  of  Harry.  Whatever  may 
have  been  his  sentiments  respecting  our  engagement,  after  the 
discovery  that  Harry  was  in  the  opposing  army,  now  that  he 
has  gone,  Lynn  praises  him  heartily,  and  with  emotion. 

"  Oh,  this  war  !  this  war,  Xellie  !  "  he  said.  "  We  may 
arrive  at  a  rough  computation  of  the  lives  lost  upon  the  field, 
in  loathsome  prisons,  in  hospitals,  and  in  such  pestilential 
camps  as  were  those  in  the  Chickahominy  Swamp,  where  more 
were  poisoned  by  malaria  than  fell  before  the  enemy  ;  but  who 
can  write  the  history  of  the  broken  hearts,  the  wrecked  hopes, 
the  scattered  families,  that  are  the  outer  circles  of  the  shock 
of  battle.  In  these  latter  days,  the  pen  of  the  recording 
angel  should  be  dipped  in  blood  and  tears.  It  may  be  that 
this  is  a  nation's  baptism  into  a  new  and  higher  life,  but  to 
me  it  seems  more  like  judgment  than  mercy." 

Leaving  this  theme,  he  went  on  to  tell  rae  of  his  plans  for 
Agatha,  should  he  be  taken  away  from  her  and  from  us. 

"  You  will  be  very  kind  and  forbearing  with  her  —  will  you 
20 


230  SUNNYBANK. 

not?"  he  asked.     "She  loves  me  very  dearly,  and  she  would 
be  very  desolate  without  the  hope  of  my  return." 

I  promised,  and  I  mean  to  struggle  with  the  doubts  of  her 
rectitude  and  sincerity  that  will  sometimes  press  in  upon  me. 
For  weeks  after  the  news  came  of  Harry's  death,  she  did  not 
enter  my  room,  alleging,  as  the  reason  of  her  apparent  neglect, 
that  she  was  herself  far  from  well,  and  dreaded  the  agitation 
of  an  interview  for  us  both.  I  hardly  missed  her,  until  one 
day,  when  they  thought  I  was  asleep,  I  heard  Mamma  re 
mark  severely  upon  this  indifference  to  my  distress,  and  Papa 
answer,  quietly,  "  It  is  not  indifference,  my  dear." 

Since  I  have  been  able  to  join  the  family  circle,  her  behavior 
to  me  has  been  fitful,  cordial,  and  cold  by  turns,  without  any 
apparent  cause  for  these  changes.  Since  Lynn's  arrival,  I  have 
seen  very  little  of  her.  He  engi'osses  a  good  deal  of  her  time, 
and  Aunt  Ellen,  whom  Lynn  escorted  up  from  Richmond,  en- 
gages Mamma's  attention  and  mine. 

Dear  Aunt  Ellen  !  her  visit  has  done  me  good  already.  She 
met  me  with  a  smile  of  mournful  sweetness,  and  while  she 
spoke  no  phrase  of  consolation,  there  was  that  in  her  caressing 
voice  and  touch  that  brought  to  my  memory  the  bereavement 
of  her  youth,  her  years  of  fidelity  to  her  first  love,  and  unself- 
ish efforts  for  the  happiness  of  others.  This  afternoon  I  have 
spent  in  her  room,  my  head  upon  her  knee,  while  she  confided 
to  me  the  events  of  that  one  year  of  her  girlhood  that  changed 
the  whole  of  her  after  life.  And  in  hearing  it,  I  saw,  dimly 
still,  but  better  than  before,  that  there  are  points  of  light,  like 
trembling  stars,  in  my  night  of  sorrow.  While  Harry  was  alive 
no  breath  of  estrangement  blackened  the  brightness  of  our 
mutual  affection.  Our  trust  in  each  other  was  perfect.  The 
gulf  that  severed  us  was  the  effect  of  untoward  circumstances, 
not  the  result  of  our  rash  words  or  angry  jealousy.  Aunt 
Ellen's  latest  parting  with  her  lover  was  a  stormy  one.  She 
was  a  spoiled  child,  a  vivacious  coquette  by  reputation  —  really 
a  warm-hearted  woman,  loving  him  with  all  her  soul  and 
strength,  but  vain  of  her  power  over  him,  and  girlishly  fond 


SUNNYBANK.    ^  231 

of  the  admiration  of  others.  He  was  proud,  sensitive,  and 
exacting.  Words  ran  high  between  them,  and  they  separated 
in  displeasure.  She  left  the  city  upon  a  pleasure  trip  of  a  week, 
and  returned  just  in  season  to  attend  his  funeral.  He  had  sick- 
ened, and  died  upon  the  third  day  after  his  seizure.  As  the 
betrothal  was  unacknowledged,  no  one  thought  of  summoning 
her  to  his  death-bed.  Passion  had  given  place  to  repentance 
before  she  came  home.  During  the  journey  she  was  dreaming 
only  of  reconciliation  and  renewed  happiness,  and  while  still  at 
the  depot  in  her  native  city,  she  learned  through  the  chance 
remark  of  a  passer-by  that  Lynn  Holmes  was  dead. 

I  am  thankful  that  Harry's  eyes  never  gav^  me  a  reproachful 
look  to  haunt  me  until  our  next  meeting  in  Heaven's  eternal 
sunlight ;  thankful  that  I  did  not  imbitter  our  farewell,  or  make 
his  difficult  duty  yet  more  arduous  by  my  weak  wailings  ;  thank- 
ful for  the  strength  that  supported  me  through  the  last  days  and 
hours  of  our  companionship  ;  thankful  that  I  kept  his  image 
pure  and  untarnished  in  my  heart  until  the  picture  of  the  mortal 
was  exchanged  for  the  vision  of  the  beatified  spirit ;  thankful 
that  I  wrote  that  last  loving  letter,  although  his  hand  was  never 
to  break  the  seal ! 


232  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


AGATHA. 


January  1,  1864. 

New  Year's  Day,  and  the  year  has  commenced  rarely.  Ow- 
ing to  the  intensely  cold  weather,  none  of  us  showed  any  disposi- 
tion to  stir  abroad  after  breakfast.  Milord  retired  to  his  study, 
and  my  Lady  had  domestic  concerns  to  superintend.  This  left  of 
the  original  party  of  grown  people  "  us  four,  no  more,"  as  the 
old  rhyme  runs ;  to  wit,  Miss  Morris  and  Elinor,  Lynn  and 
myself.  My  devoted's  furlough  expires  to-morrow,  and  he  has 
expected  and  received  a  double  share  of  petting,  to-day,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  agonizing  anticipation. 

This  was  the  order  of  the  tableau  in  the  parlor.  At  one  end 
of  the  hearth.  Miss  Lamar  and  her  soldier  lad.  I  eschew 
mock  modesty,  and  set  down  the  names  according  to  their  com- 
parative importance  in  my  sight.  Miss  Lamar  then,  and  her 
fiance ;  she  leaning  back  in  the  most  comfortable  easy-chair  the 
apartment  afforded,  in  the  complacent  consciousness  that  she 
could  appreciate  its  luxuriousness  quite  as  well  as  any  body  else 
present  —  her  supple  fingers  gleaming  whitely  among  the  coils 
of  a  mass  of  gilt  braid  she  was  manufacturing  into  an  epaulet 
for  her  warrior's  wear ;  her  black  eyes  misty,  yet  lustrous, 
dividing  their  regards  impartially  between  the  shining  threads 
and  the  softer  brown  orbs  that  studied  her  face  and  move- 
ments with  undisguised  pride.  Lieutenant  Lacy  sat  at  my 
feet.  I  cannot  manage  the  third  person  well  when  I  mean  my- 
self. He  sat  at  my  feet  upon  a  convenient  ottoman,  which  was 
constructed  to  suit  his  sister's  whimsical  fancy  for  low  seats. 


SUNNYBANK.  233 

She  is  always  dropping  her  dwarfish  figure  down  upon  a 
stool  or  cushion,  or  tjie  carpet,  and  looking,  as  much  as  she  can 
succeed  in  doing,  like  the  picture  of  Evangeline  one  sees  in 
every  print-shop,  and  upon  the  wall  of  next  to  every  farm-house 
in  the  country,  until  one  feels  —  or  I  do  — as  if  I  should  fly  into 
a  frenzy  if  she  did  not  take  her  clasped  hands  off  her  knees, 
and  her  eyes  off  vacancy,  and  herself  off  that  uncomfortable 
stone  bench,  and  put  up  her  hair  like  a  sane  woman  (which 
she  wasn't),  and  go  about  her  business. 

Very  different  from  this  lack-a-daisical  figure  was  the  hand- 
some youth  now  basking  in  the  liquid  radiance  of  my  eyes,  and 
looking  all  manner  of  adoring  things  to  me  in  return.  The 
primitive  customs  of  camp  life  have  not  altered  one  of  his  fas- 
tidious habits  of  dress  and  personal  daintiness.  His  hair  and 
luxuriant  beard  are  trimmed  as  by  a  professional  tonsor ;  his 
hands  fine  still  in  outline,  and  unhardened  by  much  handling 
of  artillery  and  bridle.    He  wore  the  Confederate  gray,  —  a  new 

and  stylish  suit  he  had  procured  on  his  way  through  the  city, 

and  without  the  risk  of  being  mistaken  for  a  mere  parlor-knio-ht, 
was  a  goodly  sight  to  behold,  and  a  winsome  charmer  to  an  ear 
that  seldom  hears  complimentary  sayings  addressed  to  the  owner 
of  said  auriculars  when  he  is  not  here.  He  was  chatting  rather 
gayly  this  morning,  usually  to  me,  although,  once  in  a  while,  he 
cast  a  pleasant  word  to  his  patroness.  Miss  Morris,  who  has 
chosen  this  inviting  season  of  the  year  in  which  to  visit  her  dear 
cronies,  the  Lacys.  I  verily  believe  that  woman  will  never 
wear  out,  or  grow  older  than  she  is  at  present.  Her  system, 
mental  and  physical,  is  made  of  vulcanized  rubber.  She  sof- 
tens down  invariably  when  she  speaks  to  Elinor,  and  as  invari- 
ably hardens  when  she  turns  to  me.  To-day  she  looked  wicked, 
and  I  felt  so. 

A  week  is  a  weary  period  when  one  is  on  her  best  behavior 
wdthout  an  interval  of  refreshing  naughtiness  thrown  in  for  the 
relief  of  fallible  feminine  nature.  Lynn  has  not  been  home 
before  since  September,  and  I  am  out  of  practice  in  the  exem- 
plary line.  It  is  not  so  hard  to  be  all  smiles  and  honey  —  a  kind 
20* 


234  SUNNYBANK. 

of  vitalized  sweetmeat  for  fortj-eiglit  hours  or  thereabouts ; 
but  my  nerves  are  less  sound  than  in  lang  syne,  or  my  temper 
less  manageable. 

For  three  days  back  I  have  been  chafing  ominously  at  the 
necessity  of  prolonging  the  farce  of  "  The  Contented  Betrothed.'' 
It  is  a  nauseous  pill  to  Miss  Morris  to  see  me  enacting  this  role, 
supported  by  her  adopted  son  ;  but,  as  my  luckless  cavalier  let 
slip  to  me  last  night,  she  is  under  bonds  to  him  to  keep  the 
peace  in  public  while  she  remains  his  mother's  guest. 

He  expressed  it  thus  :  — 

"  She  is  the  soul  of  candor,  you  know,  dear,  and  she  owned 
that  she  had  had  her  prejudices  against  you  ;  but  she  has  prom- 
ised to  try  and  overcome  these  for  my  sake,  and  to  love  you  as 
my  future  wife." 

There  is  a  specimen  of  a  man's  wisdom  for  you  !  to  reveal  to 
one  woman  the  true  spring  of  another's  forced  cordiality  —  the 
resolute  intention  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain  for  the  sake 
of  the  divine  youth  who  designs  conferring  upon  this  inferior 
bit  of  goods  the  distinction  of  his  name  and  possessorship  !  I 
nearly  bit  my  tongue  through  while  he  was  telling  me  of  the  mar- 
vellous fortune  in  store  for  me,  in  his  patroness'  toleration ;  but 
I  held  the  imprudent  member  in  its  place,  and  bided  my  time. 

Beside  Miss  Morris  was  the  favorite  of  the  day  with  this  dis- 
criminating lady,  looking  more  diminutive  than  she  used  to  appear 
in  her  black  dress,  and  prettier,  with  her  delicately-oval  face  and 
clear,  unfathomable  eyes.  She  has  grown  into  a  refined  beauty, 
instead  of  fading  under  her  trial.  I  might  better  call  it  her  bant- 
ling, for  she  broods  over  it  and  pets  it,  and  levies  upon  others  for 
contributions  of  sympathy  —  all  in  dumb  show  —  but  unmistak- 
ably, until  my  blood  boils  in  my  veins  at  the  shameless  parade. 

Since  that  black  September  day,  one  name  has  never  escaped 
her  lips  in  my  hearing.  She  kept  her  chamber  for  at  least  three 
weeks,  and  a  doctor  came  and  went,  and  there  were  cautious 
steppings  about  the  house,  and  carefully  modulated  voices  within 
the  retirement  sacred  to  widowed  grief,  and  I  might  go  my 
ways,  and  nobody  vex  his  or  her  wits  about  my  moody  turns, 


SUNNYBANK.  235 

and  solitary  sick  days,  and  lonely  rambles  into  the  forest  where 
no  human  eye  could  mark  my  wasted  tears !  The  same  old 
story,  —  "Unto  her  that  hath  shall  be  given."  Given  —  the 
right,  though  her  betrothed  sleeps  in  bloody,  unconsecrated 
ground,  to  mourn  him  without  shame  or  fear  of  scorn  ;  to  call 
herself,  if  she  will,  by  his  name,  with  no  dread  lest  another 
should  dispute  her  right  to  assume  the  title  ;  to  feed  her  cravino- 
fancy  upon  the  betrothal  vow,  the  love-words  spoken  to  her 
alone,  and  now  never  to  be  annulled  by  the  utterances  of  an- 
other and  a  later  love  ;  given  —  all  that  friendship  and  public 
sentiment  can  bestow  in  alleviation  of  a  mighty  loss. 

Elinor  was  always  an  angel  in  the  sight  of  her  doting  par- 
ents, and  —  I  had  nearly  written  —  dotard  aunt.  Now  she  is  a 
demigoddess,  and  requires  close  watching,  lest,  like  the  sainted 
Miss  Betsey  Gwin  of  tomb-stone  celebrity,  she  should 

<'  Break  the  outer  shell  of  Bin, 
And  hatch  herself  a  cherubim." 

She  wns  sewing  this  morning  upon  a  braided  apron  for  Car- 
rie. Another  ingredient  in  her  consummate  counterfeit  of  self- 
abnegation  is  her  increasing  devotion  to  this  child. 

"  Behold  in  me,  all  ye  my  acquaintances,  and  ye  my  possible 
lovers,  a  disconsolate  widow  !  "  says  her  deportment.  "  To  the 
world  at  large  I  am  henceforth  as  if  I  had  never  lived.  But 
lest  your  bereavement  should  crush  you  utterly,  I  have  resolved 
to  form  my  infant  sister  into  a  faint  copy  of  what  I  once  was, 
and  set  her  in  the  niche  left  empty  by  my  voluntary  nunhood. 
Look  at  her  as  your  rising  star,  and  let  me  sink  in  peace  ! " 

She  and  Miss  Morris  v^^ere  not  silent  while  sitting  for  the 
pictures  I  have  drawn.  Indeed,  there  was  a  tolerably  brisk 
patter  of  dialogue  at  that  corner  of  the  chimney,  kept  up  mainly 
by  Miss  Morris,  Elinor  adding  a  tender  treble  of  assent  or  in- 
quiry, whenever  the  other  paused  to  take  breath. 

"  It  delights  me  to  see  your  sister  so  bright  again,"  I  ob- 
served softly  to  Lynn.  "  lliss  Morris'  visit  is  a  real  cordial 
to  us  all." 


236  SUNNYBANK. 

"  Aunt  Ellen  is  a  great  woman ! "  responded  my  auditor, 
loudly  enough  to  be  heard  across  the  room,  like  the  great 
clumsy  animal  a  man  is,  where  by-play  is  desired.  "  She 
could  coax  'Patience  off  her  monument  if  she  cared  to  make  the 
attempt." 

I  saw  Miss  Morris  prick  up  her  ears,  and  Elinor  raise  her 
eyes  from  her  work,  at  this  remark,  which  was  uttered  during  a 
pause  in  their  talk.  There  were  needed  only  a  swift,  embar- 
rassed glance  from  me,  a  lifted  fmger  of  caution,  and  a  whis- 
pered "  sh sh  !  "  to  emphasize   and   point   my  admirer's 

thoughtless  repartee. 

''  Which  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  I  could  beguile  you  to 
quit  that  ottoman,  I  suppose  !  "  said  Miss  Morris.  "  I  believe 
I  do  nol  care  to  make  the  attempt.  We  should  not  know  what 
to  do  with  you  on  this  side  of  the  fire." 

"  That  is  fortunate  ! "  answered  the  gallant  Lieutenant,  play- 
ing with  an  end  of  my  gilt  cord  ;  "  for  I  have  not  the  remotest 
idea  of  removing  from  my  present  quarters." 

"You  would  do  capitally  for  a  tableau  of  Hercules  and  the 
distaff!  "  was  Miss  Morris'  next  dart,  flung  with  her  usual  air 
of  playful  humor,  but  aimed,  as  I  divined,  in  anything  but  a 
playful  mood. 

Lynn  laughed  and  dropped  his  plaything.  "  I  owe  you  one, 
Aunt  Ellen ! " 

So  did  I  —  one  multiplied  beyond  my  ability  of  numera- 
tion. 

I  smiled  innocently,  and  asked,  with  careless  simplicity, 
"Hercules?  Wasn't  he  the  god  whose  lady-love  wrapped  him  in 
a  poisoned  mantle  he  couldn't  get  rid  of,  and  which,  at  last, 
killed  him?  I  wonder  what  is  the  significance  of  that  fable? 
A  habit  of  jealousy,  I  imagine,  to  which  he  was  provoked  by  the 
fair  murderess  !  "  with  a  musical  laugh  at  my  pun. 

Lynn  espied  no  hidden  meaning  in  my  sally,  but  the  two 
ladies  did.  Elinor's  eye  warned  me  that  I  was,  unwittingly,' 
as  she  believed,  approaching  dangerous  ground.  Miss  Morris' 
flashed  keen  suspicion. 


SUNNYBANK.  -  237 

"  Viewed  in  that  light,  one  has  less  compassion  for  the  charm- 
ing widow,"  Lynn  said,  lightly. 

"  And  more  for  her  victim,"  rejoined  I,  seriously. 

He  took  the  cue.  *'  It  has  always  been  a  mystery  to  me  how 
any  woman,  who  really  loves  and  is  beloved,  can  trifle  with  the 
feelings  she  has  inspired,  and  which  she  professes  to  reciprocate. 
I  have  no  pity  for  the  sufferings  brought  upon  a  coquette  by 
her  levity  or  deliberate  scheme  to  try  the  constancy  of  her 
lover." 

''  True-hearted,  good  women  are  never  coquettes ! "  I  an- 
nounced, with  the  aspect  of  a  mentor. 

"  You  are  right  there  !  "  responded  Miss  Morris,  composedly. 
"And  coquetry  in  due  time  brings  its  own  punishment. 
Whether,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  this  is  disproportionate  to  the 
offence,  or  not,  I  do  not  pretend  to  decide." 

"  A  girl's  love  of  teasing  and  fun  is  often  styled  flirtation,  by 
prudish  censors,"  said  Elinor.  "  It  would  be  hard  were  such 
playfulness  to  be  visited  by  the  loss  of  self-respect,  and  by  pub- 
lic contempt.  It  is  natural  and  pardonable  for  girls  to  love 
admiration." 

I  smiled  again,  covertly  and  sneeringly,  averting  my  face  as 
if  to  conceal  my  amusement. 

"  If  there  is  one  being  more  utterly  abominable  in  my  eyes 
than  anything  else  in  creation,  it  is  a  sly  woman  !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Morris,  so  energetically  that  Lynn  wheeled  his  stool 
around,  to  get  a  better  look  at  her, 

"  Heyday  —  Aunty  !  what  has  set  you  off?  " 

"  Agatha  understands  me,  and  Elinor  does  not ! "  she  an- 
swered. 

I  stared  amazedly.  Elinor  stitched  away,  her  cheeks  flush- 
ing gradually. 

"  You  are  a  riddle  to  me,"  pursued  the  gentleman.  "  What 
sly  woman  is  the  common  detestation  of  yourself  and  Agatha  ?  " 

"Nobody.  I  know  and  despise  one.  If  Agatha  desires  to 
make  her  acquaintance,  let  her  come  to  me  in  private,  and  I 
will  tell  her  a  pretty  story  I  once  heard  about  a  very  Jesuit  of 


238  SUNNYBANK. 

a  girl,  with  a  broad,  active  streak  of  diabolism  iu  her  making 
up  and  daily  behavior." 

"  I  acknowledge  a  broad,  active  streak  of  curiosity  in  my 
making  up,"  I  returned  pleasantly.  "  I  shall  certainly  claim 
the  fulfilment  of  your  promise  at  as  early  a  date  as  may  be 
convenient.     May  I  come  to  your  room  after  dinner?  " 

"  You  may.     I  shall  enjoy  telling  the  tale  to  you." 

"  And  if  you  are  sl  very  good  boy,  I  will  take  you  into  con- 
fidence," I  said  to  my  betrothed,  with  childlike  glee.  "  Aunt 
Ellen's  stories  are  always  charming,  always  graphic,  sometimes 
thrilling.  Yet  they  make  one  afraid  of  her,  too.  She  is  such 
a  subtle  anatomist  of  human  nature,  and  has,  withal,  so  vivid 
an  imagination,  that  a  tete-d-tete  with  her  is  like  an  hour  spent 
in  a  picture  gallery,  filled  with  '  scenes  from  life  by  our  best 
artists.'  " 

In  saying  this,  I  was  ingenuous  as  a  babe,  sportive  as  a 
kitten,  and  the  hazel  eyes  regarding  the  play  of  my  countenance 
were  eloquent  of  exulting  fondness  —  the  gaze  of  appreciative 
proprietorship  in  a  mettled,  but  thoroughly-broken-in  animal. 
"  Aunt  Ellen,"  upon  whom  I  now  bestowed  this  title  for  the 
first  time,  looked  stilettos  and  poison-bowls  at  me,  and  my 
supple  fingers  did  not  intermit,  or  bungle,  in  their  weaving 
while  I  sustained  her  scrutiny. 

This  spirited  passage-at-arms  did  wonders  toward  relieving 
the  monotony  of  a  long  morning  in  a  country  house,  where  the 
company  was  small  and  so  familiarly  acquainted  with  one 
another  as  to  breed  satiety,  if  not  contempt ;  when  the  inclem- 
ent season  forbade  walking  or  driving,  and  there  was  no  pros- 
pect that  the  afternoon  would  be  more  favorable  to  out-door 
recreation.  I  need  incessant  stimulants  and  sharp  excitants 
at  that  —  to  keep  my  system  strung  up  within  an  octave  of 
concert  pitch.  This  argues  a  morbid  condition  of  the  moral 
liver,  but  I  cannot  help  it.  The  anticipation  of  the  battle  in 
store  for  me  affected  me  spiritually  as  cayenne  pepper  and 
quinine  would  have  done  bodily.  I  have  longed  to  measure 
lances  with  Miss  Morris  ever  since  our  acquaintanceship  was 


SUNNYBANK.  '  239 

five  minutes  old,  and  I  resolved  that  the  approaching  encounter 
should  be  no  child's  play. 

Yet,  when  I  repaired  to  my  chamber,  after  the  strictly  and 
lugubrious  family  dinner,  to  gird  up  my  loins,  —  id  est,  my 
wits  for  the  fray,  —  a  qualm  of  heart-sickness  laid  hold  of  me. 
An  Ishmaelite  from  my  infancy  —  were  peace  of  mind  and 
concord  with  my  fellows  to  be  unknown  to  me  through  all  my 
career?  I  waited,  for  some  minutes,  for  the  spasm  to 
spend  itself,  and  my  courage  to  rise  again  to  the  requisite 
degree  for  the  occasion  —  waited,  sitting  upon  the  rug  with 
my  back  to  the  fire,  looking  absently  around  upon  the  comfort- 
able room  —  in  size,  appointments,  and  situation  desirable  as 
that  appropriated  to  the  daughter  of  my  host  —  and  the  thought 
started  up  before  me,  how  it  would  feel  to  be  innocent  and 
lowly  of  mind,  unambitious,  unenvious  —  in  one  word,  con- 
tented. I  levelled  the  tempter  with  one  blow  of  will  and  com 
mon  sense. 

"  None  of  your  dinner  of  herbs  for  me  !  Nothing  venture, 
nothing  have.  If  the  tastes  and  temper  which  the  Lord  has 
moulded  into  my  composition  lead  me  out  of  the  safe,  old, 
respectable,  beaten  path,  I  am  not  responsible.  This  woman  is 
my  enemy,  and  she  knows  something  about  me  which  others 
do  not.  I  have  read  it  in  her  face  dozens  of  times  during  the 
past  week.  She  shall  tell  me  what  it  is,  make  known  all  her 
grounds  of  dislike,  and  then  I  will  return  the  compliment  with 
interest." 

The  pungent  spice  of  my  ancient  aversion  having  restored 
the  tone  of  my  mental  stomach,  I  got  up,  surveyed  myself 
critically  in  the  mirror,  saw  that  I  was  in  high  feather  as 
regarded  general  appearance,  and  that  my  gypsy  visage  was 
both  brilliant  and  wicked,  and  stepped  out  into  the  passage, 
humming  a  merry  bravura  all  the  way  to  Miss  Morris'  door. 

"  Come  in  ! "  she  answered  to  my  knock.  I  entered,  and 
perceived,  instantly,  that  I  was  expected. 

She  has  a  fashion  of  doffing  her  state  robes  every  afternoon, 
assuming  a  wrapper  and  reading  until  dark,  except  when  she 


240  SUNNYBANK. 

coaxes  Elinor  to  sit  aud  chat  with  her  instead.  To-day,  she 
had  not  removed  her  dinner  dress  —  black  silk,  with  a  collar 
of  old  lace,  and  a  small  cap  with  lappets  of  the  same  material. 
She  has  unquestionably  been  a  handsome  woman  in  her  day, 
and  she  is  well  preserved  for  her  years.  A  noble  fire  of  logs 
blazed  upon  the  andirons,  the  hearth  was  cleanly  swept,  and  a 
chair  placed  at  the  angle  of  the  rug  facing  the  window.  This 
was  plainly  intended  for  my  occupancy.  She  held  the  odds 
against  me  at  the  outset.  I  had  not  given  the  challenge,  and 
accordiu!?  to  the  code  of  honor,  mine  should  have  been  the 
choice  of  weapons  and  position.  But  1  had  accepted  it  with 
eagerness  that  betrayed  my  lurking  grudge  and  my  impatience 
to  fight  it  out.  Confident  in  my  prowess,  I  did  not  shirk  the 
disadvantageous  place  allotted  me.  I  sat  me  down  with  the 
light  from  the  west  beaming  broadly  upon  my  features,  and 
made  the  inevitable  remark  that  it  was  growing  colder  every 
hour.  She  is  impetuous,  for  a  middle-aged  lady,  and  her  style 
of  waiving  preliminaries  and  going  right  at  the  subject  in  point, 
was  comically  like  the  manosuvre  practised  by  the  crew  of  boys 
who  hang  around  the  rivers  and  quays,  during  the  bathing  sea- 
son —  clasping  the  hands  far  above  the  head  and  then  precipi- 
tating themselves,  frog-fashion,  into  the  water. 

"  You  are  engaged  to  be  married  to  my  friend,  Lieutenant 
Lacy,  Miss  Agatha  !  "  I  held  my  breath  long  enough  to  cause 
a  pinky  tinge  to  suffuse  my  complexion,  and  replied,  looking 
bashfully  into  my  lap,  that  I  was. 

"  Do  you  love  him?  " 

"  That  is  surely  a  needless  question.  Miss  Morris  !  "  pluck- 
ing up  a  trifle  of  dignity. 

''  By  no  means  —  as  women  and  society  are  now  constituted. 
May  I  ask  of  you  the  favor  of  a  reply  ?  " 

"  If  I  had  not  loved  him,  I  should  not  be  betrothed  to  him. 
If  I  had  not  been  willing  to  marry  him,  why  should  I  encour- 
age his  addresses  ?  " 

"  There  are  a  dozen  ways  in  which  the  latter  circumstance 
can  be  accounted  for  without  the  presupposition  of  affection  on 


SUNNYBANK.  241 

your  part.  He  has  the  recommendations  of  family,  wealth, 
and  breeding.  You  are  poor  and  ambitious.  He  is  handsome 
and  graceful,  and  you  have  an  eye  for  outward  advantages. 
Lastly,  the  engagement  of  Mr.  Wilton  to  Elinor  having  re- 
moved him  from  the  lists,  you  might  not  be  reluctant  to  show 
him  that  the  prize  he  rejected  was  not  despised  by  another." 

It  was  lucky  I  had  steeled  myself  for  any  description  of 
assault,  or  this  would  have  unhorsed  me  —  to  alter  slightly 
her  trope  of  the  tournament.  I  gazed  straight  at  her  with 
level,  unblinking  lids. 

"You  are  prime  authority  in  Us  affaires  du  coeur,  Miss 
Morris.  It  would  become  me  ill  to  question  the  accuracy  of 
your  deductions  from  appearances.  Let  us,  for  the  sake  of 
argument,  admit  that  each  and  every  one  of  the  considerations 
you  have  named  —  including  the  climax  — had  a  share  in 
shaping  my  conduct  in  the  formation  of  the  engagement  exist- 
ing between  myself  and  Lieutenant  Lacy.     What  then  ?  " 

'*I  should  say  that  you  had  spoken  the  truth,  without  ex- 
pecting me  to  believe  it.  My  opinion  of  your  motives  and 
character  would  remain  unchanged.  I  am  making  no  side- 
issues  now,  Agatha.  I  am  in  deadly  earnest.  This  deception 
has  gone  far  enough.  I  know  you  thoroughly.  I  believe 
yours  to  be  a  corrupt  nature  ;  and  like  all  corruption,  however 
skilfully  its  existence  may  be  concealed  for  a  while,  it  will  show 
its  abhorrent  qualities  eventually.  Success  has  made  you  care- 
less, or  the  crust  of  deceit  is  thinner  and  less  specious  than  it 
once  was.  Your  wiles  impose  upon  fewer  people  every  day 
you  pass  in  this  house.  No  girl  ever  had  a  fairer  chance  than 
you  of  making  herself  beloved  and  useful,  had  you  chosen  to 
walk  in  the  straight  path  of  right  purpose  and  honest  action. 
You  preferred  a  circuitous  course ;  have  wheedled,  and  hood- 
winked, and  cheated  ;  and  to  these  practices  there  comes  an  end 
even  in  this  world." 

Her  object  was  annihilation  ;  but  she  had  miscalculated  the 
temper  of  the  thing  -to  be  pulverized.     I  sat  back  easily  and 
gracefully  in  my  rocking-chair,  and  toyed  with  a  hand-screen 
21 


242  SUNNYBANK. 

I  had  taken  from  the  table  when  she  was  midway  in  her  ha- 
rangue —  tranquil  and  unsmiling,  the  embodiment  of  respectful 
attention. 

"  You  are  general  in  your  accusations,"  I  ventured  an  objec- 
tion at  this  stage.  *'  I  may  be  excused  for  feeling  bewildered 
by  the  rapidity  and  vagueness  with  which  these  are  stated. 
Will  you  favor  me  with  a  specific  example  or  two  of  my  base- 
ness and  double-dealing?" 

"  Willingly  !  While  you  were  professing  unbounded  attach- 
ment for  Elinor,  you  hated  her  for  supplanting  you  in  Mr.  Wil- 
ton's regard.  You  nursed  for  him  a  sentiment  he  never  asked 
for,  and"  which  he  could  not  reciprocate.  Had  you  stopped 
there,  mine  would  have  been  the  last  tongue  to  utter  the  tale 
of  your  unhappy  love.  But  you  overleaped  the  bounds  of 
womanly  shame,  as  well  as  womanly  pride,  when  you  visited 
him  alone  at  his  room,  and  pressed  your  unmaidenly  suit  upon 
him.  He  kept  your  secret  in  spite  of  my  repeated  efforts  to 
extort  from  him  an  explanation  of  what  I  had  myself  seen  and 
heard.  I  was  outside  that  room  when  my  brother's  knock  for 
admittance  hushed  your  sobs  and  pleadings.  Mr.  Wilton  un- 
closed the  door  very  cautiously ;  but  I  had,  through  the  wide 
crack  at  the  back  of  it,  a  glimpse  of  your  dress,  and  knew  it 
for  yours.  I  was  behind  you  during  that  silent  walk  up  to  Mrs. 
Dana's  ;  passed  you  while  you  were  still  in  the  porch,  and  Mr. 
Wilton  was  fitting  the  key  into  the  lock.  I  charged  all  this 
upon  him  next  day,  for  I  was  very  angry  with  him,  while  I 
believed  you  were  the  greater  sinuer  of  the  two.  He  refused 
to  give  me  any  satisfaction  except  that  he  was  true  —  heart, 
intent,  and  deed  —  to  his  betrothed.  Still,  when  he  went  away, 
he  must  have  been  aware  that  your  reputation  was  at  my  mercy. 
The  dead  tell  no  tales,  and  you  hoped,  doubtless,  to  establish 
yourself  creditably  in  life  without  hinderance  from  the  past  you 
thought  was  buried  out  of  sight.  For  the  sake  of  the  family 
whose  worth  and  good  name  protect  you,  and  out  of  mistaken 
compassion  for  my  poor  boy,  whose  fate  is  so  miserably  entan- 
gled with  yours,  I  have  hitherto  refrained  from  exposing  you. 


SUNNYBANK.  243 

I  was  so  foolish  as  to  hope  that  some  miracle  of  love  had 
wrought  reformation  in  you  ;  that  you  really  valued  the  heart 
your  guile  had  won.  I  find  you  unchanged,  unless  it  be  for  the 
worse.  I  have  listened  without  reply  to  your  covert  taunts, 
the  unfeeling  sneers  directed  at  one  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes 
you  are  unworthy  to  unloose.  So  far  from  respecting  the  depth 
and  holiness  of  the  great  sorrow  she  bears  so  meekly,  you  let 
no  opportunity  escape  without  slyly  probing  the  wounds  of  that 
pure,  loving  hea^t.  Your  deportment  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lacy, 
when  their  son  is  not  by,  is  disrespectful  under  a  lame  ostenta- 
tion of  servility.  I  repeat  —  corruption  will  testify  to  its  pres- 
ence sooner  or  later,  and  I  have  cited  but  a  few  of  the  tokens  of 
your  real  disposition  and  designs  which  T  have  marked  during 
my  short  stay  here.  I  have  alluded  to  these  in  the  hearing  of 
no  one  excepting  yourself.  I  wish  to  act  honorably  while  I 
may  seem  unmerciful." 

Here  she  halted,  and  rested  upon  her  arms,  before  she  deliv- 
ered another  volley. 

I  waved  the  painted  screen  gently  to  and  fro,  traced  out  the  pat- 
tern with  my  forefinger,  and  once,  when  she  was  most  energetic 
in  her  invective,  turned  it  over  in  my  hand  to  examine  the  re- 
verse, and  ascertain  whether  the  handle  were  fastened  in  securely. 
Whatever  might  follow  this  tremendous  preamble,  my  policy 
was  clearly  chalked  out  for  me.  She  was  warm.  I  must  be 
cool.  She  dealt  in  sweeping  assertions.  I  would  contradict 
none  of  them.  I  could  gain  nothing  by  forcing  her  to  prove  a 
single  one  of  these,  for  she  had  voluntarily  told  me  in  what 
manner  she  had  gained  her  information.  The  story  of  her  dis- 
like was  an  old  one,  as  was  also  her  opposition  to  my  marriage 
with  her  favorite.  Yet  I  should  marry  him  all  the  same  as  if 
she  urged  on  the  match. 

"  Now,  Miss  Lamar,"  resumed  the  virago,  "  I  offer  you 
two  propositions.  Break  off  your  engagement  with  Lieutenant 
Lacy,  upon  whatever  pretext  you  may  choose  to  give  him. 
Your  inventive  genius  will  not  fail  you  at  this  juncture.  You 
may  then  retain  your  home  and  respectability.     I  pledge  my- 


244  SUNNrSANK. 

self  to  profound  silence  upon  the  matter  I  have  laid  before  you 
this  afternoon.  It  is  not  my  mission  to  go  about  the  world  to 
correct  abuses  at  large.  But  I  will  save  my  dearest  friend  from 
the  miseries  that  would  be  entailed  upon  him  by  a  union  with 
a  heartless,  unscrupulous  woman.  Elinor  you  cannot  injure 
now,  good  as  is  your  will  to  ruin  her  happiness.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lacy  are  above  your  reach.  I  had  rather  have  cut  off  my  right 
hand  than  that  Lynn  should  have  been  inveigled  into  this  match. 
I  shall  use  every  effort  to  break  it  off.  If  you  decline  gratify- 
ino-  me  in  this  particular,  I  shall  forthwitli  repeat  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lacy,  and  leave  them  to  tell  their  son  all  that  I  have  said 
to  you." 

"  Do  it,"  I  said  coolly,  "  and  I  will  marry  him  to-morrow. 
You  know  your  power.  Miss  Morris.  I  do  not  over-estimate 
mine." 

She  stfired  at  me  blankly,  as  if  uncertain  whether  she  had 
understood  me.  I  smiled  slightly  —  a  gleam  of  calm  superior- 
ity —  and  twirled  my  invaluable  toy.  The  short  winter  day  was 
hastening  to  a  close.  The  windows  showed  increasing  duski- 
ness without,  and  the  fire  roared  more  loudly  within.  I  saw 
her  bite  her  lip  before  she  spoke  again.  She  had  changed  her 
mind  as  to  something  she  was  on  the  point  of  saying. 

"  Lieutenant  Lacy  is  not  a  silly  boy,  however  fervent  may  be 
his  attachment  to  you,"  she  continued.  I  could  see  it  hurt  her 
whenever  she  admitted  his  love  for  the  outcast,  and  I  marked 
the  weak  joint  of  her  harness.  "  His  confidence  in  my  veracity 
and  in  my  friendship  dates  back  to  his  infancy.  He  will  be- 
lieve me  when  I  assert  what  I  myself  know  to  be  true." 

"You  can  try  it !  "  I  answered,  imperturbably.  "  I  would 
willingly  avoid  an  eclaircissement  which  would  involve  unpleas- 
ant revelations  to  all  who  are  mixed  up  in  it ;  but  if  you  are 
bent  upon  it,  I  do  not  shirk  it.  I  do  not  question  the  strength 
of  his  confidence  in  his  mother's  oldest  friend ;  and  please  re- 
member that  it  was  not  I  who  impugned  your  veracity,  but  you, 
who  charged  me  with  falsehood.  I  have  not  opposed  a  de- 
nial to  one  count  of  your  indictment.    When  the  case  is  tried 


SUNNYBANK.  245 

in  open  court,  I  shall  privately  instruct  my  counsel  how  to  plead. 
I  have  no  fear  lest  I  shall  fail  in  convincing  him  of  my  inno- 
cence. To  drop  the  legal  figure  —  if  you  make  my  residence 
here  undesirable,  I  shall  seek  one  elsewhere,  and  Hayridge  is 
open  for  my  reception  as  its  mistress  and  the  wife  of  its  owner, 
whenever  I  think  proper  to  return  a  favorable  reply  to  his  en- 
treaties for  a  speedy  marriage." 

I  lied  here  —  for  the  Lieutenant  would  as  soon  leave  me  the 
solitary  occupant  of  a  wigwam  in  the  trackless  forest  as  install 
me  at  Hayridge  during  his  absence  upon  military  duty.  The 
situation  immediately  upon  the  river,  and  in  the  track  of  the 
passing  and  repassing  armies,  renders  it  an  unsafe  abode  for  any 
woman,  especially  one  young  and  beautiful.  Nor  has  he  ever 
intimated  to  me  a  desire  for  an  early  union.  "  When  the  war  is 
over  "  —  "  when  peace  is  declared  "  —  are  terms  perpetually 
upon  his  lips  in  connection  with  our  marriage.  But  I  learned 
—  a  hundred  years  ago,  I  think  —  to  utter  a  lie  with  a  better 
grace  than  the  truth,  and  very  sensibly  —  since,  if  moralists  are 
to  be  depended  upon,  Truth  needs  no  dress  except  her  native 
fairness.  I  am  not  prepared  to  contradict  this  ethical  theory, 
for  I  don't  happen  to  know  anybody  who  indulges  in  exhibitions 
of  the  naked  truth.     It  is  not  considered  decent. 

"It  is  superfluous  to  assure  me  that  Lieutenant  Lacy  is  not 
a  fool,"  I  said.  "  He  is  a  high-minded,  honorable  gentleman, 
who  would  uphold  the  cause  of  his  betrothed  wife  against  a 
legion  of  slanderous  mischief-makers,  were  this  composed  of 
his  father,  mother,  sister,  and  every  disinterested  elderly  friend 
he  has  upon  earth.  Mark  me  !  I  do  not  wish  to  balk  your 
plans  for  his  disinthralment.  But,  having  the  pleasure  of  a 
tolerably  intimate  acquaintanceship  with  him,  it  is  but  fair  in 
me  to  warn  you  how  he  will  deport  himself  in  our  nice  tragi- 
comic drama.  I  would  not  be  outdone  by  you  in  honorable 
behavior." 

I  liad  balked  her.  I  saw  it  in  her  musing  gaze  into  the  red- 
hot  coals,  and  the  slow  tap  of  her  fingers  upon  the  arm  of  her 
chair.  She  was  considering  whether  it  v/ould  be  worth  her 
21* 


240  SUNNYBANK. 

while  to  push  me  to  the  end  of  the  plank.  If  she  did,  and  I 
maintained  my  hold  upon  her  adopted  son,  she  must  go  under, 
for  good  and  all.  She  was  not  cowed.  She  was  too  true  metal 
for  that.     But  she  was  staggered  by  my  hardihood. 

"  It  would  be  useless  to  appeal  to  her  sense  of  the  justice  due 
the  man  she  means  to  marry  !  "  she  said,  interrogatively,  more 
to  herself  than  to  me. 

"  Quite  useless  !  "  I  rejoined.  "  For  our  ideas  of  justice  may 
be  totally  different.  I  l^old  that  he  deserves  all  the  happiness 
be  covets  in  a  union  with  me.  You  would  break  his  heart, 
turn  him  adrift  upon  the  world  aimless  and  loveless.  It  is  not 
a  light  sin  to  rob  a  man  of  the  hope  he  has  cherished  as  the 
brightest  blessing  fate  has  ever  bestowed  upon  him.  And  hearts 
like  his  can  break  !  " 

A  swift  shadow  went  over  her  countenance,  and  her  lip  trem- 
bled momentarily. 

"  I  seek  his  true  good  !  "  she  said,  earnestly.  "  I  wish  I 
could  believe  in  you,  girl !  " 

I  bowed  respectfully.     "  I  second  the  wish  !  " 

"  But  I  cannot !  I  will  not  see  my  poor  boy  sacrificed 
to "     She  checked  herself. 

"  I  can  imagine  the  epithets  courtesy  withholds  you  from 
uttering  while  I  am  in  your  chamber  as  your  invited  guest,"  I 
said,'  rising.  "  I  leave  the  decision  of  this  knotty  case  entirely 
with  you.  Miss  Morris.  I  cannot  say  with  truth  that  I  regret 
my  failure  to  win  your  regard,  since  I  have  never  been  tempted 
to  desire  your  favorable  opinion  of  myself  or  my  conduct.  I 
shall  not  remonstrate  against  your  resolution,  let  it  be  what  it 
may.  But  I  shall  take  excellent  care  of  myself  in  any  event. 
I  have  had  some  practice  in  that  line.  Have  you  any  further 
commands  for  me  ?  " 

"  I  have  finished  all  I  meant  to  say.  In  my  plans  for  future 
action,  I  shall  not  be  influenced  by  needless  consideration  for 
your  sensibilities.  You  have  set  my  mind  at  rest  upon  that 
score.     Good  evening  !  " 

She  nodded  coldly,  and  I  returned  a  profound  obeisance.     I 


SUNNYBANK.  247 

had  played  my  part  well,  aud  she  had  mangled  hers  by  injudi- 
cious effervescence  of  emotion.  She  had  talked  hurriedly,  and 
with  heat,  and  I  had  been  cautioned  by  this  very  warmth  to 
practise  self-control. 

I  sought  my  chamber  without  meeting  any  one  in  the  halls. 
It  was  quite  dark  now,  and  the  fire  had  burned  low,  as  I 
crouched  once  more  upon  the  rug,  and  laying  my  throbbing 
temples  within  my  palms,  sobbed  in  dry,  hysterical  gasps  that 
seemed  to  rend  my  lungs  and  swell  my  throat  to  strangulation. 
I  was  helpless,  forlorn,  miserable  !  I  almost  persuaded  myself, 
in  my  rage  against  my  tormentor,  that  I  would  be  good  and 
happy  with  my  intended  husband,  if  she  would  let  me.  She 
had  insulted  me  grossly  ;  driven  me,  with  my  fierce,  vindictive 
temper,  to  the  verge  of  insanity ;  and  I  had  no  alternative  but 
submission.  The  one  being  who  would  have  resented  an  in- 
jury offered  me  was  the  last  person  to  whom  I  could  relate  the 
scene  I  had  just  passed  through.  Oh,  would  the  day  never 
come  when  it  should  be  my  turn  to  trample,  and  the  turn  of 
my  oppressors  to  be  trodden  upon !  I  could  not  go  below, 
although  I  heard  Lynn  strumming  upon  the  piano,  playing  stray 
chords  and  fragments  of  love-ditties  that  partially  expressed 
the  unsettled  state  of  his  wits,  and  I  knew  he  was  impatiently 
expecting  me  for  a  twilight  confabulation.  When,  at  last,  a 
servant  knocked  at  my  door  to  bring  in  wood  and  water  for  the 
night,  the  fireplace  was  black,  and  I  shivered  with  cold  as  I 
dragged  up  my  stiffened  limbs  from  the  floor. 

"  I  fell  asleep  there,  with  my  head  upon  the  chair,"  I  said  to 
the  girl,  who  exclaimed  at  finding  me  in  the  dark. 

I  lighted  my  lamp,  and  carefully  readjusted  my  toilet,  send- 
ing the  girl  out  upon  an  errand  while  I  touched  my  olive-pale 
cheeks  with  something  taken  from  a  secret  drawer.  I  gnawed 
my  lips  on  the  journey  down  stairs,  that  they  might  be  dewy 
and  bright.  No  woman  can  afford  to  look  ugly,  however  mis- 
erable she  may  wish  to  appear.  My  direct  route  did  not  take 
me  past  the  study,  but  an  inward  presentiment  of  evil  to  myself 
did.     Streams  of  rosy  light  shot  through  the  keyhole  and  the 


248  SUNNYBANK. 

crack  under  the  door  into  the  dark  haU.  There  were  suppressed 
murmurs  within,  and  I  stooped  to  spy  out  the  interior.  Mr. 
Lacy  and  Miss  Morris  were  closeted.  I  listened  until  I  heard 
my  name  and  Lynn's  twice  repeated,  and  withdrew  softly  as  I 
had  approached.  My  next  essay  was  to  look  into  the  dining- 
room.  As  I  thought,  my  Lady,  Elinor,  and  Carrie  were  there, 
pulling  long  ropes  of  sugar  candy  for  the  delectation  of  the  last- 
named. 

'■'■  Come  in,"  said  they. 

"No,  thank  you,"  I  said,  sweetly.  "Lynn  is  waiting  for 
me  in  the  parlor.  I  have  had  a  nap,  and  overslept  myself,  be- 
sides taking  cold,  I  am  afraid.  This  is  a  Nova-Zemblan  night. 
How  beautifully  white  your  candy  is,  Carrie  !  I  wish  you  had 
called  me  to  help  you  pull  it." 

The  parlor  was  ablaze  with  firelight,  and  Lynn  was  stalking 
up  and  down  like  the  "'lone  picket"  of  whom  Elinor  used  to 
be- forever  singing. 

*'  Don't  scold  me,  dear,"  I  said,  plaintively,  as  he  began  a 
remark  about  his  impatient  waiting.  "I  hadn't  the  spirits  to 
come  down  stairs  earlier :  I  have  the  vapors  to-night." 

With  manly  modesty,  he  assumed  that  I  vv-^as  grieving  over 
the  approaching  separation,  and  I  owned  that  this  redoubled  the 
original  weight  upon  my  heart.  By  this  time,  he  had  estab- 
lished me  upon  the  sofa  by  him,  and  I  leaned  my  head  upon  his 
shoulder,  and  cried  a  little.  Thereupon,  by  a  lawyerly  cross- 
examination,  he  wrung  from  me  the  admission  that  the  colloquy 
with  Miss  Morris  had  depressed  me. 

"  She  will  never  like  me,  darling,"  I  sighed,  pathetically. 
"  I  am  weary  with  trying  to  conquer  her  prejudice,  and  her 
influence  with  your  parents  and  sister  is  unbounded.  Is  it  sin- 
gular that  these  thoughts  should  sadden  me  ?  that  I  sometimes 
debate  the  question  with  myself,  v/hether  it  may  not  be  my 
duty  to  sever  our  engagement " 

"  Agatha,  you  drive  me  mad  !  What  are  parents,  sister,  the 
whole  universe,  to  me,  compared  with  one  smile  from  you?  " 


SUNNYBANK.  2tl:9 

The  door  creaked  on  its  hinges  behind  us,  and  Mrs.  Lacy 
spoke :  — 

"  Lynn,  Uncle  Will  wants  to  know  if  you  put  the  stable-kej 
into  your  pocket  to-night." 

*'Here  it  is.  Mother!" 

He  went  forward  to  meet  her,  rendered  up  the  missing  article^ 
and  she  retired.  But  there  was  a  note  ajar  in  her  full,  even 
voice,  and  I  was  assured  that  she  had  overheard  the  hyperbolical 
outbreak  of  her  son.  Fortune  had,  by  way  of  change,  tossed 
up  a  lucky  card  into  my  hand.  Milord  never  moves  in  impor- 
tant affairs  without  consulting  his  better  half ;  and  she  will  think 
twice,  after  hearing  this  impassioned  question,  before  she  risks 
the  banishment  of  her  best-beloved  child.  I  could  afford  to 
soothe  my  gentleman  now  with  reiterations  of  my  unabated 
affection,  and  the  like  emollients.  I  pleaded  Aunt  Ellen's  jeal- 
ous partiality  for  him,  and  her  disinclination  to  be  supplanted 
in  his  esteem  by  a  younger  and  later  acquaintance  ;  which  he 
declared  was  "  absurd  in  the  extremest  degree." 

"  I  honor  her  candor,"  I  said,  generously.  "  She  does  not 
feign  love  where  she  cannot  feel  it.  She  has  many  noble  quali- 
ties, which  I  can  see  and  acknowledge,  although  she  views  all 
that  I  do  through  a  distorted  medium." 

In  conclusion,  I  won  him  to  promise  that  he  would  not  betray, 
by  word,  look,  or  behavior,  what  he  had  gathered  from  me. 

"  It  would  but  widen  the  breach,"  I  alleged.  "  I  trust  to 
time  and  your  loving  diplomacy  to  heal  it.  You  are  so  dear  to 
us  both,  that  this  antagonism  cannot  be  perpetual." 

"  You  are  an  angel  of  forgiveness  !  "  he  ejaculated.  "  But 
I  warn  you,  that,  should  a  crisis  arrive,  —  should  she,  or  any 
one  else,  compel  me  to  declare  my  sentiments  in  this  matter,  —  I 
shall  not  stay  to  weigh  any  claims  beside  yours.  I  would  be- 
lieve your  lightest  word  in  opposition  to  the  oaths  of  a  thousand 
others !  " 

Which,  if  it  was  a  stereotyped  love-speech,  was  exactly  what 
I  had  intended  he  should  say  from  the  outset. 

The  evening  passed  by  very  soberly.     Lynn  had  no  private 


250  SUNNYBANK. 

conference  with  any  member  of  his  family  ;  for  I  sat  Avith  him, 
according  to  our  custom,  until  the  rest  of  the  household  were 
in  their  beds.  He  will  be  off  betimes  in  the  morning,  which 
must  be  very  near  at  hand.  I  have  not  slept  a  wink  all  night. 
I  shall  be  sick  after  this  New-year  day's  work ;  but,  when  that 
fond,  foolish  boy  has  gone,  nobody  will  care  whether  I  am  well 
or  ill. 


SUNNYBANK.  251 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

ELINOR. 

March  16,  1864. 

A  STRANGE  thing  has  happened  —  so  strange  and  unlocked 
for  I  cannot  convince  myself  that  I  am  not  dreaming  when  I 
begin  to  write  of  it.  One  night,  three  weeks  ago,  I  had  gone 
to  my  room,  and  had  drawn  up  my  desk  to  the  fire,  to  begin  a 
letter  to  Aunt  Ellen,  when  Mammy  tapped  for  permission  to 
enter.  She  shut  the  door  carefully,  and  crept  toward  me  on 
tiptoe,  wearing  an  air  of  mystery  that  amused,  while  it  star- 
tled me. 

"  I  have  something  to  tell  you,  honey,"  she  whispered,  stoop- 
ing to  my  ear.  "  It's  right  that  somebody  besides  me  and 
Uncle  Will  should  know  it,  and  it  mightn't  be  safe  to  let  on  to 
Marster." 

"  Mammy !  what  can  it  be,  that  would  not  be  safe  with 
Papa?" 

".Nothing,  dear.  He's  close  as  wax,  and  wise  as  Solomon: 
but  we  colored  people  hears  things  that  all  white  folks  doesn't ; 
and  'tisn't  safe,  upon  his  own  account,  that  he  should  know 
everything  that's  going  on  in  these  days,  which  ain't  a  bit  like 
old  times.  They  might  suspicion  him,  and  get  him  into  trouble. 
Foi^  wouldn't  be  thought  of,  nor  harmed,  if  they  did  happen  to 
find  you  out." 

"  Very  well ;  what  is  your  secret?"  asked  I,  smiling.  "I 
will  keep  it,  if  you  still  wish  it,  after  we  have  talked  it  over 
together." 

She  lowered  her  voice  until  I  could  just  hear  her,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  relate,  that  Uncle  Will  had  made  an  excursion  into 


252  SUNNYBANK. 

the  maple  swamp  that  day,  in  search  of  certain  roots  and  bark 
that  are  considered  medicinal  by  the  negroes  at  this  season  of 
the  year.  In  passing  a  thicket  of  juniper-bushes,  he  fancied 
that  he  perceived  a  movement  within  it,  and  parting  the 
branches,  looked  in. 

"  And  thar,  on  the  hare  ground,  dear,  —  all  soaking  wet 
Avith  spring  rains,  and  not  fit  for  a  pig  to  wallow  in,  let  alone  a 
white  Christian  creatur',  —  was  a  man.  His  clothes  was 
hanging  in  rags,  his  beard  had  growed  'way  down  below  his 
breast,  and  his  bones  was  fa'rly  poking  through  his  skin.  Says 
Uncle  Will  to  him,  'How  did  you  get  here?  and  what's  the 
matter  with  you  ? '  And  says  he,  '  I'm  a-starving ;  but  don't 
tell  whar  I  am.' 

"  As  the  Lord  would  have  it.  Uncle  Will  had  put  an  ash-cake 
in  his  pocket  when  he  went  down  to  the  low  grounds,  thinkin* 
he  might  be  kept  out  late,  and  want  his  dinner.  He  sot  down 
'pon  a  log,  and  drawed  the  poor  fellow  up  alongside  of  him,  and 
fed  him,  little  by  little,  as  he  would  a  done  a  baby ;  and  then 
he  takes  his  own  coat  off  his  back,  and  wraps  the  shivering 
bones  up  in  it ;  and  '  Stay  here,'  says  he,  '  till  dark,  and  I'll 
take  you  to  a  comfortabler  place.'  For  you  see,  honey,  he  mis- 
trusted right  strciight  off  what  he  was,  and  how  he  came  to  be 
hiding  in  the  dens  and  caves  of  the  yarth.  And  v/ith  that  he 
comes  up  home,  and  brings  the  story  to  me ;  and  I  got  ready  a 
pot  of  warm  tea  and  some  chicken-broth,  and  made  up  a  bed  in 
a  dark  corner  of  my  up-stairs  room ;  and  nigh  'pon  three  hours 
ago,  he  and  I  sot  out  for  the  swamp,  —  I  taking  along  a  little 
tin  bucket  with  a  mouthful  of  soup  in  it,  and  Uncle  Will  had  a 
'  tickler '  of  whiskey,  which,  being  a  member,  he  never  touches 
'cept  for  medicine  ;  and  leaning  against  the  log,  with  the  thick, 
dry  coat  'pon  him  to  keep  off  the  damp,  we  found  him  ;  and 
says  he,  '  I  was  afraid  you  would  never  come.' 

''  We  got  him  up  on  his  feet,  and  took  him  betwixt  us,  he 
a-resting  all  his  weight  'pon  our  shoulders  ;  and  by  walking 
slow,  and  stopping  to  rest  about  a  dozen  times,  we  managed  to 
bring  him  up  to  my  house.     I  washed  him  with  warm  water, 


SUNNYBANK.  253 

dear,  from  his  head  to  his  feet.  Ah !  the  sight  of  them  was 
pitiful  enough  —  all  cracked,  and  festered,  and  bleeding ;  and 
Uncle  Will  changed  his  rags  for  a  shirt  and  pants  of  hisn  ;  and 
he  swallowed  his  tea,  and  a  sup  or  more  so  of  his  soup :  but 
he's  a  rack  to  look  at,  and  I'm  afeared  he  may  not  live  through 
it.  We 'eluded  —  Uncle  Will  and  me  —  that  some  white  per- 
son ought  to  see  him,  and  take  down  his  name,  and  where  he 
lives,  and  the  like  of  that.  It's  all  the  time  in  my  mind,  how 
that  poor  wounded  man  that  died  here  last  winter  kept  a-talking 
about  his  mother  ;  but  this  one's  mother  wouldn't  know  her  own 
child  if  she  was  to  see  him  now." 

I  lost  no  time  in  questioning  whether  I  should  do  as  she 
wished.  She  had  judged  wisely,  that  this  was  not  a  matter  to 
be  brought  before  my  father,  if  it  could  be  helped.  I  did  not 
inquire  what  discovery  she  had  made  touching  the  unfortunate 
stranger's  previous  history.  I  guessed  immediately  that  he  was 
either  a  deserter  from  one  of  the  two  armies  that  lie  to  the 
north  and  south  of  us,  or  an  escaped  Union  prisoner.  This 
war  has  made  us  familiar  with  tales  of  dungeons  and  summary 
retribution  visited  upon  fugitives  from  military  duty  or  impris- 
onment. 

I  found  the  wanderer  lying  upon  the  comfortable  pallet  which 
Mammy  had  made  up  for  him  in  her  upper  room.  A  candle 
burned  upon  a  stool  beside  him,  and  there  were  cavernous  shad- 
ows in  his  face  that  made  him  look  unlike  a  human  being. 
His  kind  nurse  had  combed  out  his  matted  hair  and  beard,  but 
their  unshorn  raggedness  heightened  his  resemblance  to  some 
wild  creature  of  the  forest  —  less  than  man,  and  higher  than 
beast.  His  wasted  hands  were  crossed  upon  his  breast,  and  he 
was  sleeping  peacefully  as  a  happy  child.  Mammy  and  I  sat 
down  near  him,  Uncle  Will  keeping  guard  below  until  eleven 
o'clock,  hardly  daring  to  breathe,  lest  we  should  break  that 
healthful  slumber.  Then  he  stirred,  groaned  deeply,  and  awoke. 
His  hollow  eyes  glared  first  upon  me,  and  lie  lifted  his  head 
with  a  smile  that  did  not  iessen  the  ghastliness  of  his  appear- 
ance. 

22 


254  SUNNYBANE. 

"  Am  I  at  home  —  or  in  Heaven  ?  "  he  asked  ;  and  before 
we  recovered  presence  of  mind  to  answer,  he  added,  more 
faintly,  "  Not  in  Heaven  !     I  am  weak  and  sick  still !  " 

His  head  fell  back,  and  he  groaned  again,  in  pain  or  feeble- 
ness. 

I  had  brought  restoratives,  and  salve,  and  soft  linen,  for  ban- 
dao^es,  from  the  house,  and  while  Mammy  renewed  the  dress- 
ings upon  the  wounded  feet,  I  fed  him,  at  intervals  of  ten  and 
fifteen  minutes,  with  wine  and  broth,  until  his  pulse  was  full 
and  regular.  I  did  not  catechise  him  at  all,  but  Mammy  asked 
for  his  name  and  place  of  residence,  in  order,  as  I  understood, 
that  I  might  communicate  these  to  his  friends  in  the  event  of 
his  death.  I  spoke  to  him,  occasionally,  when  the  sunken 
eyes  scrutinized  me  with  wild  questioning,  —  bewilderment  he 
was  too  weak  to  put  into  audible  language,  —  but  I  confined 
myself  to  reassuring  phrases  and  hopeful  predictions  of  his 
rapid  improvement.  It  was  after  midnight  when  Mammy 
advised  me  to  leave  him  alone  with  her. 

"  He  is  better  already ! "  she  said,  cheerfully,  "  and  I'm 
easier  in  my  mind.  His  pulse  is  coming  up  steady,  and  his 
voice  is  stronger.  You  go  back  to  the  house,  honey,  and  don't 
fret  yourself  any  more  to-night.  And,  Miss  Elinor,  dear,  don't 
you  be  thinking  'bout  sending  for  the  doctor  !  'Twouldn't  do  ! 
not  ef  he  was  a-dying,  which  he  ain't  going  to  do,  this  time  !  " 
This  was  smiled  at  the  patient.  "  I'll  bring  him  'round,  ef  the 
Lord  is  willing.  I've  done  some  nussing  in  my  day,  and  that's 
all  he  needs,  'cept  the  right  kind  of  vittles,  and  not  too  much  at 
a  time ! " 

"  I  shall  be  in  to  see  you  in  the  morning,"  I  said  to  the  sick 
man.  "  This  was  my  nurse  when  I  was  a  child,  and  she  has 
taken  care  of  us  all  in  our  sickness  ever  since  I  can  recollect. 
I  could  not  leave  you  in  better  hands." 

He  raised  his  hand,  when  I  would  have  turned  away. 

"  One  word  !     Do  you  know  what  I  am  ?  " 

"  A  suffering  fellow-creature,"  I  answered,  "  who  is  enti- 
tled to  all  we  can  do  for  him,  while  he  suffers." 


SUNNYBANK.  255 

"  I  was  a  prisoner  of  war  in  Richmond.  I  escaped.  I  have 
wandered  in  the  woods  for  a  week  and  more.  I  thought  I  must 
die  —  or  go  back.     I  meant  to  die  !  " 

"  Say  no  more  !  "  I  interposed,  as  he  gasped  for  breath.  "  I 
suspected  all  this  before.  You  are  safe  here  until  you  are 
strong  enough  to  travel.  Then  you  may  go  home.  I  promise 
you  this." 

''  And  you  are  a  southern  woman !  "  The  burning  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  me. 

"  I  am  a  Virginian,  and  I  love  the  Union  as  I  do  my  life !  " 

I  saw  him  put  his  hands  together  and  his  lips  whisper  a 
thanksgiving ;  then  I  hurried  down  the  stairs,  my  heart  too 
full  for  speech.  Uncle  Will  attended  me  to  the  house.  I  had 
left  the  side-door  unlocked,  and  I  mounted  with  soundless  foot- 
steps to  my  chamber.  There,  my  first  act  was  to  kneel  and 
thank  Him  w^ho  had  intrusted  this  poor  fugitive  to  my  care. 
It  is  little  I  can  do  to  stem  the  tide  of  blood  and  tears  that  is 
wasting  our  land,  —  but  what  is  permitted  to  me  I  do  with  a 
solemn  gladness,  a  devout  gratitude  to  the  merciful  One  who 
has  not  made  my  life  to  be  wholly  a  waste.  As  I  prayed,  it 
seemed  as  if  Harry  were  with  me,  encouraging  me  by  his 
approval,  counselling  me  by  his  wisdom.  When  I  fell  asleep, 
his  spirit  still  smiled  on  my  dreams.  I  had  never  dreamed 
happily  of  him  before,  since  I  heard  of  his  death.  I  had  seen 
him  fighting,  wounded,  or  dead,  —  the  fatal  bullet  lodged  in  his 
heart,  —  and  had  awakened,  night  after  night,  with  a  real  phys- 
ical pang  in  my  own  that  left  it  sore  for  hours  afterwards. 

But  in  this  vision  he  was  with  me  at  the  bedside  of  the  stran- 
ger, ministering  with  me  to  his  wants,  and  talking,  in  his  brave, 
loving  way,  of  the  war,  and  the  scenes  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged  since  our  parting. 

"  Thank  you  for  this  act  of  mercy.  Brownie  !  "  he  said,  lay- 
ing his  hand  upon  the  sick  man's  forehead.  "  Remember  !  you 
do  it  for  my  sake,  and  for  love  of  the  Union  !  " 

It  was  a  strangelv  vivid  dream,  and  it  never  leaves  me. 

My  charge  was  marvellously  better  next  day,  and  on  the 


256  SUNNYBANK. 

second,  wliicli  was  the  Sabbath  morning,  I  found  him  propped 
by  clean  pillows  ;  himself  arrayed  in  fresh  linen  that  had  once 
belonged  to  my  father  ;  his  ragged  beard  and  hair  trimmed  by 
Mammy's  clever  fingers,  while  Uncle  Will,  sitting  by  him,  read 
aloud  from  his  well-worn  Bible. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Merrill ! "  I  said.  "  I  am  glad  to  see 
you  looking  so  well  and  bright !  You  do  credit  to  your  physi- 
cian "  —  nodding  at  Mammy. 

But,  looking  more  narrowly  at  her,  I  saw  that  she  had 
been  weeping.  I  must  have  appeared  frightened,  for  she  has- 
tened to  correct  my  impression  that  she  considered  her  patient 
worse. 

*'  He's  getting  on  finely !  couldn't  be  doing  better !  "  she 
said,  confidently.  "But  we've  been  having  some  talk  with 
him,  my  poor  child,  —  Uncle  Will  and  me,  —  and  ef  I  had  mis- 
believed till  now  that  the  Lord  sent  him  to  us,  I  should  be 
ashamed  of  my  doubtings.  Don't  break  dowm,  my  lamb,  if  you 
can  bear  up  —  for  it's  a  comforting  thing  that  Ae,  of  all  the 
other  poor  pris'ners  that  got  away  at  the  same  time,  should  'a 
been  laid  at  your  door." 

The  tears  were  streaming  down  her  dear  old  face,  and  she 
had  me  in  her  arms,  as  she  used  to  hold  me  when  I  was  a  hurt 
or  terrified  child.  My  dream  had  been  very  present  with  me 
all  the  morning,  and  as  she  spoke,  I  seemed  to  be  living  in  it 
again. 

''  I  think  I  know  what  you  mean,"  I  replied.  *'I  shall  not 
break  down,  Mammy.  But  I  should  like  to  speak  with  Mr. 
Merrill,  alone." 

She  and  Uncle  Will  went  down  stairs,  and  I  took  the  -vacant 
chair  by  the  soldier's  bed. 

"  Aunt  Rachel  tells  me  you  were  a  friend  of  Lieutenant 
Wilton,  of  the  — th  New  York,"  he  began,  diffidently,  look- 
ing past  —  not  at  me.  "  I  was  a  sergeant  in  the  same  com- 
pany Avith  him,  and  saw  him  every  day,  from  the  time  we  left 
home  until  Gettysburg." 

I  did  shiver  at  that  word  —  stamped  upon  my  memory  in 


SUNNYBANK.  257 

characters  of  blood.     But  I  would  not  show  that  I  was  moved , 
lest  he  should  keep  back  something  from  me  I  ought  to  hear. 

"  Were  you  near  him  when  he  fell?"  I  asked. 

"  I  was  not.  But  I  saw  him  just  before  we  went  into  battle. 
I  had  occasion  to  consult  him  about  some  order  which  had  been 
passed  to  me.  "We  non-commissioned  officers  and  the  men 
liked  him  best  of  all  our  superiors.  He  was  patient,  and  kind, 
and  merry,  no  matter  how  the  day  went,  or  how  tedious  the 
march  was.  He  put  spirit  into  us  when  we  were  clean  fagged 
out,  and  if  there  was  fighting  to  be  done,  he  never  said,  '  Go 
in,  boys  ! '  but,  '  Come  on,  my  brave  fellows  ! '  There  was 
no  shirk  in  him. 

"  That  morning,  he  was  talking  with  our  Captain,  when  I 
came  up  and  saluted  them. 

*' '  Well,  Mr.  Merrill,'  says  he,  pleasantly,  '  have  you 
anything  to  say  to  me  ? ' 

"  I  stated  my  business. 

" '  Why,*  says  the  Captain,  mth  an  oath,  *  what  a 
thick  skull  you  must  have  not  to  understand  that !  The  thin'>-'s 
as  plain  as  the  nose  on  your  face  !  Do  thus  and  so  !  *  explain- 
ing, after  his  fashion,  what  the  order  meant. 

"  The  Lieutenant  never  said  a  word ;  only  stood  Iookin«" 
down,  grave  and  quiet,  until  I  was  sent  about  my  business. 
Then  he  followed  and  overtook  me. 

" '  Sergeant,'  says  he,  '  I'm  afraid  our  good  Captain  did 
not  make  matters  quite  clear  to  you.' 

"  '  You're  right,  sir  ! '  says  I.  '  But  I  didn't  dare  say  so  to 
him.' 

"  With  that,  he  put  the  case  before  me,  in  twenty  words  — 
made  it  easy  as  A,  B,  C. 

*'  '  I  am  obliged  to  you,  Lieutenant !  *  says  I,  heartily. 
'  You've  done  me  a  real  favor  ! ' 

'"It  is  nothing  ! '  he  said,  kindly.     '  It  is  a  soldier's  busi- 
ness to  help  his  comrades  in  little,  as  well  as  great  things. 
We  are  likely  to  have  hot  work  soon,  but  we  shall  win  the  day, 
I  hope.     God  defend  the  Right ! ' 
22* 


258  SUNNYBANK. 

"  When  the  order  to  charge  was  given,  which  w^asn't  until 
near  midday,  I  caught  his  eye  as  he  turned  and  waved  his 
sword  towards  the  men.  He  smiled  and  shook  it  in  the  air 
over  his  head,  as  if  he  were  repeating  — '  God  defend  the 
Right ! '     I  never  saw  him  afterward." 

Neither  of  us  offered  to  speak  again  directly.  I  had  not 
wept  during  this  homely  recital  of  an  incident  more  precious  to 
me  in  the  hearing,  than  would  have  been  the  wealth  of  a  king- 
dom. I  could  see,  through  the  small  window  above  the  pallet, 
the  green  hills  beyond  the  river,  the  belt  of  forest,  and  above 
these,  the  blue  of  the  Sabbath  sky,  with  the  white  fleeces  sail- 
ing slowly  across  it.  Just  so  brightly  had  shone  the  sun,  just 
so  blue  were  the  heavens  above  those  other  hills  and  fields,  far 
away,  on  that  July  day,  when  my  darling  looked  his  last  upon 
them. 

"  God  defend  the  right !  "     He  did  !  He  does  ! 

From  the  room  beneath  ascended,  in  this  death-like  silence. 
Uncle  Will's  reverent  tones,  as  he  continued  his  morniag  reading. 

"  Therefore  will  we  not  fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed, 
and  though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  seas  ; 
though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled ;  though  the 
mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof." 

Our  Father  was  near  to  him  who  trusted  in  His  strength  and 
protection  amid  the  din  and  smoke  of  battle,  as  to  me  in  my 
quiet  communing  with  Him  on  this  holy  day. 

"  He  died  instantly,  you  know?  "  I  said  presently. 

"  So  I  heard,  after  reaching  Richmond.  A  man  who  saw 
him  fall,  told  me  of  it.  He  had  a  very  fine  sword,  which  was 
presented  to  him  by  his  business  partners  before  he  left  New 
York.  The  flashing  of  this  must  have  caught  the  eye  of  a  rebel 
sharp-shooter.  The  shot  did  its  work  thoroughly.  He  never 
moved  after  he  fell.  There  were  several  members  of  his  com- 
pany in  our  room  in  prison,  and  two  or  three  of  them  cried  like 
children,  when  they  got  the  bad  news.  Ah,  well !  ma'am  !  he 
was  a  brave  soldier,  and  he  fell  in  a  glorious  cause.  'Twas 
better  he  should  die  as  he  did,  than  endure  what  I  have  seen 


SUNNYBANK.  259 

others  suffer  during  my  prison  life.  What  with  bad  air,  and 
bad  food,  and  not  enough  of  that,  and  cold,  and  homesickness  — 
a  man  dies  by  inches  in  those  filthy  pens !  " 

"  You  are  right !  it  was  far  better  !  "  I  answered. 

From  this,  we  went  back  to  the  date  of  his  earliest  meeting 
with  Harry,  and  he  recounted  many  incidents  of  the  wise  care 
of  the  officer  for  his  subordinates ;  the  courteous  kindness  of 
the  gentleman  to  his  brethren  in  arms  ;  the  unflinching  courage 
of  the  Christian  patriot.  My  thirsty  ears  drank  in  all  with 
avidity.  I  believed  in  every  feature  of  the  narration  ;  did  not 
mar  the  enjoyment  of  listening  by  critical  questionings  into  the* 
authenticity  of  this  or  that  portion.  For  me,  each  scene  was 
painted  with  a  fidelity  to  Nature  that  convinced  me  of  the 
speaker's  veracity.  It  was  like  gazing  upon  a  roughly-drawn, 
but  most  striking  likeness  of  the  lost  one. 

"  That  was  like  him  !  "  was  my  only  comment,  and  this  I 
rarely  made. 

When  he  was  through,  —  and  I  had  to  interrupt  him  at  inter- 
vals, and  oblige  him  to  rest  a  while  before  proceeding  with  the 
story,  —  when  he  had  finished,  I  thanked  him,  and  bidding 
him  try  and  sleep  after  his  fatiguing  conversation,  summoned 
Mamuiy  to  stay  with  him,  and  betook  myself,  with  my  Bible, 
to  my  Sabbath  chapel —  the  seat  at  the  roots  of  the  great  wil- 
low, in  our  "  God's  acre." 

Shall  I  ever  forget  the  experience  of  that  blessed  forenoon  ? 
We  seldom  go  to  church  now.  Our  neat  house  of  worship  has 
been  twice  used  as  a  hospital,  and  latterly,  as  barracks ;  the 
seats  torn  out  for  firewood  and  the  window-sashes  dashed  from 
their  frames.  We  have  no  pastor,  and  the  little  flock  that  once 
gathered  in  the  beloved  sanctuary  are  as  sheep  scattered  abroad. 
But  the  shadow  of  that  old  tree  was  to  me  more  sacred  than 
temple  consecrated  by  man's  formal  act.  Those  whom  we  call 
dead  were  nearer  to  my  spirit  than  the  living.  Solemn  peace 
held  my  soul,  —  a  sweet  benediction  from  Him  who  had  chas- 
tened me  for  my  good.  I  thanked  Him,  through  tears  that 
sprang  from  no  bitter  fountain,  that  He  had  not  heeded  my 


260  SUNNYBANK. 

ungrateful  repinings,  or  punislied  my  selfish  indolence  of  grief 
during  the  earlier  days  of  ray  mourning.  I  accepted,  as  a  pledge 
of  love  and  forgiveness,  the  keepsake  He  had  sent  me  in  the 
mementos  of  my  Harry's  noble  life  and  glorious  death.  I  was 
very  humble,  very  tranquil  —  almost  happy. 

I  did  not  know  that  I  was  singing  as  I  strolled  through  the 
garden  to  the  house,  until  I  met  Agatha  in  the  broad  walk,  and 
saw  her  amazed  look.  I  do  know  that  my  heart  was  one 
hymn  of  praise  and  love,  and  I  believe  that  my  tongue  was 
busy  with  one  of  Mamma's  favorites. 
► 

"  What  if  the  springs  of  life  were  broke, 
And  heart  and  flesh  should  faint, — 
God  is  the  soul's  eternal  rock, 
The  strength  of  every  saint !  " 

From  that  day  Mammy's  guest  and  mine  recovered  rapidly. 
We  had  less  trouble  than  I  had  anticipated  in  keeping  his  pres- 
ence upon  the  premises  secret  from  everybody  excepting  our 
three  selves.  Mammy  is  a  queen  in  her  set,  and  since  her  hus- 
band's death,  six  years  since,  she  has  resided  alone  in  her  com- 
modious cottage,  and  enjoyed,  besides  the  distinction  of  Mam- 
ma's confidence,  the  post  of  head  woman  of  the  plantation,  in 
rank  and  authority  inferior  only  to  Uncle  Will,  who  has^  been 
Papa's  manager  from  the  day  he  married  and  took  up  his  abode 
at  Sunnybank.  Mammy's  house  is  not  to  be  rashly  entered  by 
the  other  servants,  and  my  visits  to  her  excited  no  remark. 
She  was  my  nurse,  and  she  is  my  friend.  Whether  she  is  sick 
or  well,  I  rarely  let  a  day  pass  without  sitting  for  half  an  hour 
in  her  clean,  bright  room.  She  has  chosen,  lately,  to  -prepare 
most  of  her  meals  over  her  own  fire  ;  and  this  habit  afforded  her 
facilities  for  cooking  such  delicate  and  nourishing  food  as  the 
convalescent  needed.  It  was  difficult  to  refrain  from  taking 
Mamma  into  our  counsel,  but  we  decided  that  she  had  better 
be  kept  in  ignorance  until  the  upper  room  should  be  vacated, 
and  the  prisoner  again  a  wanderer.  He  bore  his  confinement 
more  than  patiently.  His  spirits  never  flagged  under  the  monot- 
ony of  his  daily  life. 


SUNNYBANK.  261 

"It  is  Paradise,  after  what  I  have  undergone  since  last 
July ! "  he  said,  once,  when  I  expressed  regret  that  he  was 
debarred  the  enjoyment  of  out-door  exercise,  except  upon  dark 
nights,  when  Uncle  Will  attended  him  in  his  walks  through  un- 
frequented paths,  and  across  lonely  fields. 

This  could  not  last  forever,  however.  We  comprehended 
thoroughly  the  necessity  of  his  quitting  us  so  soon  as  he  was 
strong  enough  to  travel.  Any  day  might  bring  discovery  and 
danger  to  us  all  —  death  or  captivity  to  him. 

Rolf  Kingston  spent  a  night  with  us  while  Merrill  was  here. 
I  was  sorry  to  see  him,  and  yet  it  seems  ungracious  in  me  to 
say  so,  for  a  brother  could  not  have  been  kinder  or  more  regard- 
ful of  my  feelings.  Agatha  was  confined  to  her  room  Avith 
headache  that  evening,  and  the  responsibility  of  his  entertain- 
ment devolved  mainly  upon  me.  He  gave  me  a  deplorable 
account  of  the  state  of  things  in  Richmond,  the  unscrupulous 
greed  of  capitalists  for  money ;  their  speculations,  and  frauds, 
and  oppressions,  and  the  consequent  sufferings  of  the  lower 
classes.  His  hopes  of  the  ultimate  success  of  the  Confederacy 
are  few  and  faint.  Papa  has  believed  from  the  beginning  that 
it  would  have  an  ephemeral  existence.  According  to  Rolfs 
statement,  the  ablest  defenders  of  the  new  Government  are  far 
from  sanguine  as  to  its  stability. 

"  Our  star  began  to  decline  when  Jackson  died ! "  said  he, 
despondingly.  "  Since  then,  our  battle-fields  have  been  slaugh- 
ter-grounds upon  which  the  best  blood  in  the  country  has  been 
poured  forth  in  vain.  While  Lee  commands,  and  Lee  leads,  w^e 
can  but  follow  him  to  the  end.  What  that  end  may  be,  the  wisest 
among  us  cannot  say." 

I  asked  him,  encouraged  by  his  confidence  in  my  discretion, 
whether  there  was  any  truth  in  the  tales,  darkly  whispered 
among  us,  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Federal  prisoners  in  Rich- 
mond and  other  southern  prisons. 

He  shook  his  head,  sadly.  "  Only  too  much,  I  fear  !  It  is 
the  fortune  of  war.  When  our  men  in  active  service  must  per- 
form forced  marches  for  days  together,  without  other  subsistence 


262  SUNNYBANK. 

than  a  little  parched  corn  and  water,  —  when  their  blankets  are 
fragments  of  worn  carpets,  their  coarse  clothing  is  hanging 
in  tatters  about  them,  and  their  naked  feet  are  marking  the  earth 
with  blood  as  they  walk,  —  the  captives  in  our  hands  cannot  be 
fed  and  clothed  luxuriously.  Yet  the  hardships  of  their  situa- 
tion might  be  mitigated  in  some  degree,  were  it  not  that  this 
unnatural  conflict  has  hardened  the  hearts  of  our  people  —  rulers 
and  ruled  alike  —  against  the  invaders.  What  a  gigantic  blun- 
der the  whole  war  has  been  !  " 

"  A  blunder  the  results  of  which  can  never  be  undone  !  "  I 
said. 

He  made  a  feeling  response,  and  there  the  subject  dropped. 

"  There  vnW  be  another  exchange  of  prisoners,  shortly,"  he 
said,  at  another  time.  "  Have  you  any  message  or  letters  to 
send  through  the  lines  ?  " 

"  An  exchange  !  "  I  exclaimed,  eagerly.    "  I  wonder  if " 

The  sense  of  my  imprudence  rushed  upon  me,  and  struck  me 
dumb  with  shame  and  fright. 

''If  what?"  asked  Rolf,  kindly.  "Is  there  any  way  in 
which  I  can  be  of  service  to  you  ?  " 

My  foolish  impulse  had  been  to  mention  Mr.  Merrill,  forget- 
ting entirely,  for  the  moment,  that  he  had,  by  his  attempt  to 
escape,  placed  himself  outside  the  pale  of  regular  exchange,  or 
even  of  merciful  treatment  should  he  be  recaptured.  It  was  an 
insane  idea,  and  I  trembled  to  think  how  nearly  I  had  come  to 
exposing  him.  Had  I  divulged  the  truth,  Rolfs  duty  would 
have  been  clear.  I  believe  he  would  have  regretted  the  neces- 
sity of  performing  it  —  but  my  poor  guest  must  have  been 
dragged  back  to  his  dungeon,  and  I  borne  the  onus  of  betray- 
ing one  who  had  trusted  me  with  his  liberty,  if  not  with  his 
life.  Self-convicted  by  these  reflections  of  folly  and  criminal 
imprudence,  I  longed  to  rush  away  and  hide  until  reason  and 
judgment  returned. 

Rolf  repeated  his  persuasive  query. 

"  Will  you  not  tell  me  what  you  were  about  to  say?  You 
can  trust  me.     Do  you  doubt  this  ?  " 


SUNNYBANK.  263 

"  No,"  I  replied,  sincerely.  "  But  I  have  no  occasion  to  put 
your  friendsliip  and  desire  to  oblige  me  to  the  test.  I  have  no 
correspondent  on  the  other  side  of  the  lines,  excepting  Uncle 
Charley.     I  may  trouble  you  with  a  note  to  him." 

For,  although  we  have  never  spoken  of  his  clandestine  visit 
to  us  year  before  last,  it  is  now  generally  known  that  he  went 
North  about  that  time.  As  I  said  this,  I  met  Rolfs  eyes  fas- 
tened upon  me  with  a  mixture  of  perplexity  and  inquiry  that 
confused  me  the  more.  I  arose  abruptly,  and  left  the  room.  I 
hope  he  attributed  my  evident  distress  to  the  press  of  painful 
reminiscences,  to  girlish  caprice  —  to  anything  but  the  real 
origin.  It  was  a  salutary  lesson  to  me.  Thenceforward  I  kept 
a  vigilant  watch  upon  my  words  and  looks.  I  even  forbore 
to  go  near  Mammy's  house  that  night,  or  the  following  fore- 
noon. 

The  next  evening,  after  Rolf  had  gone,  I  paid  my  customary 
visit,  and  found  that  my  charge  —  no  longer  my  patient  —  had 
taken  a  sudden  resolve  to  set  forth  upon  his  journey  northward 
that  very  night.  Either  the  intelligence  of  Captain  Kingston's 
arrival  had  aroused  his  anxiety,  or  he  had  a  presentiment  of 
approaching  danger ;  for  he  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  his 
determination  by  any  arguments  I  could  bring  to  bear  upon 
him.  We  accordingly  began  diligently  to  fit  him  out  for  his 
perilous  undertaking.  He  had,  by  the  help  of  a  map  of  Vir- 
ginia which  I  had  lent  him,  and  such  additional  information  as 
Uncle  Will  and  I  could  supply,  made  out  a  rude  chart  of  the 
country  through  which  he  was  to  pass  ;  and  when  he  laid  this 
down  upon  the  table,  and  showed  me  how  he  proposed  to  avoid 
the  outlying  posts  of  the  Confederate  lines,  and  the  more  thickly- 
settled  parts  of  the  counties  he  must  traverse,  I  partook  of  the 
cheerful  confidence  he  expressed  as  to  the  success  of  the  adven- 
ture. Our  united  resources  were  insufficient  to  provide  for  him 
as  I  wished  to  do,  when  I  remembered  by  whose  side  he  had 
marched  and  fought ;  and  although  he  protested  that  he  should 
want  nothing  more  than  we  had  supplied,  I  resolved  to  make 
an  appeal  in  his  behalf  to  Mamma.     I  attacked  her  boldly. 


264  SUNNYBANK. 

"Mamma,  I  want  a  suit  of  Papa's  clothes  —  something  de- 
cent and  serviceable,  but  not  too  new  or  nice." 

"  As  to  that,  my  love,"  she  replied,  laughing,  "  his  best  suit 
does  not  corae  under  your  latter  head.  Unless  he  will  wear 
'butternut'  homespun,  anything  new  must  shortly  be  an  apoc- 
ryphal term  when  applied  to  his  wardrobe.  But  perhaps  you 
may  find  what  you  wish  in  the  closet  of  the  oak-room.  As  to 
under-garments  —  look  here  !  " 

She  opened  a  drawer,  and  laid  out  one  article  after  another 

—  strong,  plain,  and  clean  —  even  to  two  pairs  of  stout  socks. 
"  AVill  these  do?"  she  inquired,  with  affected  gravity. 

But  tliere  was  a  quizzical  smile  in  her  eye  that  betrayed  her 
and  overcame  me.  I  threw  my  arms  around  her  neck,  and 
laughed  hysterically. 

"  Dear  Mamma !  how  you  trust  me  !  Indeed,  I  am  doing 
nothing  I  need  be  ashamed  of!  You  shall  know  all  very 
soon ! " 

"  Perhaps  I  am  not  so  ignorant  as  you  suppose ! "  she  re- 
turned, kissing  me.  *'  No  one  has  been  telling  tales  out  of 
school ;  but  I  have  learned  to  read  the  signs  of  the  times.    Now 

—  we  will  look  in  the  closet !  " 

We  selected  a  good  suit  —  dark  gray  —  such  as  any  respec- 
table farmer  might  wear  on  his  way  to  town.  Mamma  added 
a  pocket-book  containing  a  considerable  sum  of  Confederate 
money. 

"  He  can  use  this  until  he  reaches  a  place  of  safety.  Other 
money,  if  he  should  be  searched,  would  subject  him  to  sus- 
picion. It  would  be  well  to  send  Uncle  Will  with  him  on  horse- 
back for  the  first  stage  of  his  journey.  I  will  furnish  him  with 
a  pass  to  go  to  the  Cross  Roads  and  return.  He  can  make  an 
excuse  of  visiting  his  son  there,  and  take  Romp  along  to  be 
examined  by  the  farrier.  Tom  will  have  it  that  she  is  spav- 
ined." 

Her  easy  tone,  her  smile,  and  the  simple,  well-digested  plan 
of  operations  she  had  ready  for  us  inspirited  me  to  a  liveliness 
of  hope,  that,  in  its  first  glow,  dispelled  my  apprehensions  for 


SUNNYBANK.  '  265 

the  traveller's  safety.  Taking  the  clothing  to  my  room,  I  called 
Mammy  to  help  me  carry  it  to  her  house,  and  lingered  behind 
her  to  put  up  a  few  trifles,  such  as  scissors,  needles,  thread, 
and  a  small  testament  —  a  tiny  package  that  he  could  carry  in 
his  pocket.  Mammy  had  stocked  his  wallet  with  provisions, 
and  fed  him  with  an  abundant  meal  preparatory  to  his  starting. 
He  was  equipped  for  his  journey,  and  with  his  strong,  sensible 
features,  iron-gray  hair,  and  decent  habiliments,  looked  as  little 
like  a  man  amenable  to  the  penalty  of  the  law,  as  if  he  had 
never  stirred  from  his  farm-house,  or  handled  a  musket. 

"  I  should  not  dream  of  stopping  you  on  the  road  and  de- 
manding your  pass,  were  I  a  picket,"  I  said,  cheerily.  "  I  pre- 
dict that  your  honest  face  will  serve  you  as  well  as  a  permit 
signed  by  all  the  generals  in  both  armies.'* 

He  was  standing  in  the  lower  room,  hat  in  hand,  and  over- 
coat buttoned  up  to  his  chin  ;  Uncle  Will  was  near  him,  also 
dressed  for  riding,  and  Mammy — who  had  loved  her  late  guest 
with  the  full  fervor  of  her  loyal  heart  since  the  eventful  Sab- 
bath on  which  she  discovered  that  he  was  "  one  of  Mars'  Har- 
ry's soldiers"  —  was  hovering  about  him,  with  parting  injunc- 
tions and  ejaculatory  blessings,  when  she  uttered  a  scream,  and 
pointed  to  the  window.  A  curtain  was  drawn  across  the  lower 
half  of  it,  aud  although  we  all  turned  in  the  direction  desig- 
nated by  her  finger  and  eyes,  we  could  see  nothing  unusual. 
Uncle  Will  stepped  quickly  to  the  door,  and  went  out. 

"  There  is  not  a  soul  about !  "  he  reported,  upon  his  return. 
"  I  have  been  all  around  the  house  and  the  quarters.  Who  did 
think  it  was,  Rachel  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  white  face,  with  big,  bright  eyes,  a-staring  right 
at  us  !  "  she  insisted,  shaking  with  fear. 

"  More  likely  a  big,  white  owl,  or  a  cat !  "  said  Uncle  Will, 
laughingly.  "  The  dogs  would  never  let  a  stranger  come  into 
the  yard  without  giving  the  alarm.  You  were  mistaken,  my 
good  sister ! " 

She  adhered  stoutly  to  her  assertion,  however ;  and  such  is 
my  faith  in  the  accuracy  of  her  statements,  that,  although  I 
23 


266  SUNNYBANK. 

pretended  to  acquiesce  in  Uncle  Will's  explanation  of  the  appa- 
rition, a  chill  fear  crept  to  my  heart  as  I  lost  sight  of  the  two 
tall  forms  walking  away  in  the  faint  starlight.  The  horses  were 
awaitins:  them  in  the  ed^re  of  the  woods  back  of  the  house. 
Mammy  and  I  watched  and  listened  in  the  darkness  outside  her 
cabin,  until  they  must  have  been  a  mile  and  more  on  their  way ; 
and  nothing  disturbed  the  stillness  of  the  night  except  the  hoot- 
ing of  an  owl  down  in  the  swamp,  and  the  distant  bark  of  a 
watch-dog  in  the  opposite  direction  to  that  the  travellers  had 
taken.  There  was  a  light  in  my  room,  and  I  knew  Mamma 
was  awake  and  waiting  for  my  report. 

"Everything  seems  to  be  quiet,  Mammy,"  I  said,  arising 
from  the  doorstep  where  we  had  been  sitting.  "  Maybe  you 
were  wrong,  after  all." 

"  I  hope  so,  honey  ;  but  these  are  the  latter  days,  dear,  and 
in  them  it  is  written  that  your  old  men  shall  see  visions,  —  and 
why  not  an  old  woman?  I  can't  get  the  look  of  them  eyes  out 
of  my  head." 

Nor  could  I  the  thought  of  them  out  of  mine  until  Mamma 
made  lio;ht  of  the  occurrence. 

"  Rachel  was  always  superstitious,"  she  said.  "  This  is  not 
her  maiden  experience  in  ghost-seeing :  she  had  some  remark- 
able revelations  in  her  youth.  I  hoped  she  had  outlived  such 
fantasies." 

It  w^as  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  impart  to  Mamma  all  that 
had  occupied  my  thoughts  and  heart  since  Uncle  Will  had 
played  the  Good  Samaritan  in  the  maple  swamp,  and  Mammy 
opened  her  hospitable  door  to  the  perishing  stranger.  Her  sur- 
mises had  pointed  to  the  truth,  so  far  as  she  suspected  that 
Mammy  harbored  a  Union  refugee,  and  that  I  was  her  accom- 
plice in  the  charitable  work ;  but  she  had  no  clew  to  the  most 
wondrous  part  of  the  tale  —  Mr.  Merrill's  acquaintanceship  and 
military  association  with  Harry. 

"  The  Father  has  granted  you  precious  consolation,  iny  dar- 
ling," she  said,  when  the  story  was  told.     "Let  us  both  learn 


SUNNYBANK.  267 

from  it  how   to   trust   Him  —  if  blindly,   yet   intelligently  — 
for  the  future." 

The  following  day,  Uncle  Will  returned,  leading  Romp,  and 
riding  another  horse.  He  had  seen  Mr.  Merrill  twenty  miles 
on  his  way,  —  the  few  travellers  they  had  encountered  evidently 
mistaking  them  for  a  peaceful  yeoman  and  his  servant.  It  was 
a  bold  enterprise  ;  but  a  week  has  elapsed  without  intimation 
that  it  will  result  in  inconvenience  to  us,  or  recapture  to  the 
fugitive.  So  far  as  we  can  learn,  the  circumstances  of  his 
sojourn  here,  and  our  aid  in  forwarding  him  on  his  journey, 
remain  in  the  keeping  of  our  faithful  quartette,  unless  —  as  I 
imagine  is  the  case  —  Mamma  has  reported  these  to  Papa.  If 
ardent  prayers  can  secure  a  safe  arrival  at  his  home  to  the 
wanderer,  no  ill  will  overtake  him.  Perhaps  his  wife,  in  the 
fulness  of  her  delight  at  receiving  him  as  one  raised  from  the 
dead,  may  remember  in  her  petitions  her  whose  hero-love  will 
be  given  back  to  her  nevermore  until  her  wandering's  are  ended 
in  the  land  the  name  of  wliich  is  Peace. 


268  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

AGATHA. 

June  20. 

The  battle  of  the  Wilderness  has  been  fought,  and  won  by 
both  sides.  For  three  days,  Grant  drove  Lee  through  the 
jungles,  and  ravines,  and  tortuous  bridle-paths,  and  treacherous 
morasses  that  go  to  make  up  that  delectable  region,  capturing 
guns  by  the  hundred,  and  men  by  the  thousand ;  and  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  rebel  horde  is  now,  with  his  flying  and 
demoralized  troops,  at  the  mercy  of  the  victor.  It  is  merely  a 
question  of  time  when  the  Confederacy  shall  collapse,  like  a 
cracked  soap-bubble,  leaving  not  a  wreck  behind.  Its  fate  is 
sealed. 

For  three  days,  Lee,  by  an  unparalleled  system  of  strategy, 
led  his  adversary  farther  and  farther  into  the  trackless  wilds 
aforesaid ;  halting  here  and  there,  as  his  matchless  policy  dic- 
tated, to  despatch  some  ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  thousand  of  the 
undisciplined  multitude,  that  could  never  have  approached  with- 
in striking  distance  of  him  had  he  not  purposely  stayed  his 
triumphal  march.  Having  extricated  his  magnificent  army, 
with  inconsiderable  loss,  from  the  waste  and  howling  wilderness, 
he  now  has  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Yankee  herd  just 
where  he  wants  him ;  is  playing  with  him  as  a  cat  does  with  a 
mouse  before  she  opens  her  jaws  for  the  fatal  spring.  It  is 
merely  a  question  of  time  with  this  greatest  of  modern  generals 
when  he  shall  put  the  finishing  touch  to  the  panic-stricken  bar- 
barians.    Their  feite  is  sealed. 

If  there  are  discrepancies  in  my  account  of  the  "  situation," 
it  is  not  my  fault.    I  have  compiled  it,  carefully  and  laboriously, 


SUNNYBANK.  269 

from  the  official  reports  of  the  leading  newspapers  of  the  day — 
northern  and  southern. 

From  this  mammoth  battle-field,  a  cloud,  no  bigger  than  the 
smallest  finger-nail  upon  a  man's  hand  to  the  optics  of  the  Gen- 
erals in  command,  has  drifted  in  this  direction,  and  the  Sunny- 
bank  sky  is  black  with  storms.  The  twin-heirs  of  the  estate, 
the  pride  and  hope  of  their  parents'  advancing  years,  were  cap- 
tured by  an  ungenerously  early  surprise,  executed  before  break- 
fast by  a  wing  of  the  enemy's  forces.  We  have  learned  this 
through  a  letter  from  Captain  Kingston,  addressed  to  Mr.  Lacy. 
Nothing  has  been  received  from  under  the  brothers'  own  hand, 
although  more  than  a  month  has  passed  since  their  disappear- 
ance from  the  Confederate  ranks.  My  Lady  was  bowed  to  the 
dust  by  the  news.  Milord  rallied  his  forntude  to  sustain  him 
under  the  stroke.  It  was  reserved  for  their  super-angelic 
daughter  to  show  them  the  silver  lining  to  this  murky  cur- 
tain. 

"  It  may  be  the  means  of  saving  their  lives,"  she  said,  piously, 
bending  over  the  pale  mother,  salts  and  handkerchief  in  hand. 
"  They,  are  beyond  the  reach  of  swords  and  bullets,  and  I  be- 
lieve the  condition  of  the  prisoners  of  war  taken  by  the  Federal 
army  to  be  far  more  tolerable  than  the  newspapers  and  sensa- 
tion story-tellers  would  have  us  believe.  The  appearance  of 
the  exchanged  Confederate  soldiers  shows  that  they  are  not 
starved  or  ill-used  "  —  with  much  more  of  similar  stuff,  that  led 
the  afflicted  parents  to  entertain  more  cheering  thoughts,  and  to 
talk,  with  some  show  of  hopefulness,  of  the  reunion  of  their 
divided  family. 

I  took  my  unsanctified  spirit  from  out  this  saintly  presence, 
that  I  might  seriously  ponder  —  when  the  mental  nausea  excited 
by  this  scene  had  subsided  —  as  to  the  efiect  the  new  move  on 
the  board  of  events  would  have  upon  my  individual  prospects. 
After  contemplating  the  subject  from  a  variety  of  positions,  my 
mature  conclusion  is,  that  Dame  Fortune  has  designed  to  do 
me  another  amiable  turn.  It  is  so  seldom  she  wears  a  benis:- 
nant  aspect  toward  me,  I  may  be  excused  for  not  recognizing 
23*  • 


270  SUNNYBANK. 

her  favors  at  sight.  She  has,  indeed,  separated  me,  for  an  in- 
definite period,  from  my  only  real  friend  and  protector ;  but  I 
enjoy  immunity  from  affront  and  neglect  by  sustaining  the 
character  of  his  bereaved  betrothed.  My  Lady  is  condescend- 
ingly compassionate  ;  the  Prince  Consort  gravely  and  graciously 
attentive  to  my  actual  or  fancied  wants  ;  and  the  divine  maiden, 
who  has  hushed  her  De  pro/undis  to  chant  consolation  to  others 
whose  woe  is  more  recent  than  hers,  puts  herself  to  a  world  of 
useless  trouble  to  chase  away  my  interesting  melancholy,  and 
revive  my  sinking  hopes.  I  infer  from  these  symptoms  of 
public  sentiment,  that  my  counterfeited  distress  passes  current 
without  a  question.  Secretly,  I  own  that  Lynn's  absence  just 
now  is  the  most  convenient  thing  that  could  have  happened.  If 
I  were  a  heathen,  I  would  pour  out  a  libation  to  Mars,  in  grati- 
tude for  his  agency  in  accomplishing  the  desirable  event.  It 
has  swept  away  a  host  of  difficulties  in  the  way  of  my  advan- 
cing schemes,  as  the  stroke  of  the  housemaid's  broom  demolishes 
a  spider's  web. 

Still  the  tidings  did  shock  me,  temporarily.  I  lack  the  com- 
fortable persuasion  cherished  by  Elinor,  that  the  tenants  of  Fort 
Delaware  and  Johnson's  Island  lie  upon  beds  of  roses,  and  are 
fed  upon  turtle-soup  and  venison.  My  free,  proud  nature  revolts 
at  the  idea  of  imprisonment,  were  the  physical  condition  of  the 
captive  all  she  imagines,  or  feigns  to  believe,  it  is.  I  pity  the 
two  brave  young  men,  who  for  three  years  have  lived  in  the 
open  ail'  of  heaven,  and  spent  days  and  weeks  at  a  time  in  the 
saddle ;  who  have  won  honor  for  deeds  of  daring  in  the  sight 
of  their  comrades  ;  been  caressed  by  their  fellow-citizens  as 
heroes  and  defenders  of  the  faith,  homes,  and  lives  of  the  help- 
less non-combatants  who  people  southern  plantations.  I  pity 
them,  I  say,  that,  in  one  hour,  one  instant,  they  are  snatched 
from  action,  distinction,  and  love,  to  be  shut  up  in  that  most 
rigorous  of  confinements,  a  military  jail,  subject  to  the  brutal 
will  of  a  race  they  esteem  as  underlings.  It  irks  me  to  think 
of  Eoss'  haughty  head  bowing  in  servile  obeisance  to  a  Yankee 
corporal ;  of  the  high-bred  Lynn,  receiving  his  rations  of  coarse 


SUNNYBANK.  271 

prison-fare  from  a  surly,  blue-coated  private,  who  seasons  the 
meagre  supply  with  curses  upon  the  "  rebels." 

I  said  as  much  as  this  to  Rolf  Kingston,  who  spent  last  nio-ht 
with  us.  I  have  called  him  "  Captain,"  from  force  of  habit ; 
but  he  is  Major  now,  having  been  promoted  after  the  recent 
fights.  He  rejoices  in  a  new  and  stylish  uniform  —  gray,  of 
course,  and  richly  braided  with  scarlet.  He  is  a  splendid-look- 
ing fellow,  and  his  demeanor  to  his  diminutive  flame  is  a  pretty 
combination  of  deference  and  devotion.  The  devotion  was  in 
the  ascendant  last  evening,  and  she  detected  it.  The  consum- 
mate prude  widened  her  large  eyes  in  a  stare  of  sorrowful  in- 
credulity —  as  a  pet  fawn  might,  if  one  by  whose  hand  she  had 
been  fed  and  fondled  into  tameness  had  suddenly  tried  to  throw 
a  noose  over  her  graceful  head.  Then  she  bridled,  and  sat 
two  inches  taller  —  a  manifest  improvement  to  her  appearance  ; 
and  as  he  continued  his  low-toned  monologue,  his  fine  eyes  say- 
ing more  intense  things  than  his  tongue  dared  syllable,  she 
deliberately  gathered  up  her  sewing,  and  abandoned  to  his  ex- 
clusive use  the  sofa  she  had  deigned  to  share  with  him  nearly 
the  whole  evening. 

I  laughed  aloud  from  my  piano-stool,  where  I  was  fingerino- 
over  some  music  he  had  brought  up  from  town  —  ill-printed 
scores  upon  frail,  yellowish  paper  — the  promising  manufacture 
of  our  infant  Confederacy. 

"  What  amuses  you?  "  he  demanded,  sharply. 

"  You  must  hide  your  hook  better,"  I  answered,  still  laugh- 
ing, "  and  play  your  line  more  cautiously.  You  have  fright- 
ened her  away  for  half  a  year  at  least." 

He  kicked  over  the  consecrated  stool  whereon  her  foot  had 
rested,  and  said  something  very  ugly  under  his  breath. 

"  What  is  that?"  asked  I.  "  She  and  I  together  are  —  the 
tvhat  f  I  am  flattered  by  the  classification.  Shall  I  repeat  it 
to  her?"  • 

He  was  frowning  sulkily,  and  made  no  reply.  I  grew  serious 
too. 

"  Rolf,"  I  said,  walking  over  to  him,  and  laying  my  hand 


272  SUNNYBANK. 

familiarly  upon  his  shoulder  (suppose  my  Lady  had  made  an 
errand  into  the  room  at  that  second  !),  "  this  is  child's  play,  or 
lover's  foolery,  which  is  sillier  still.  If  you  get  that  girl  —  and, 
as  I  have  remarked  before,  I  don't  know  why  you  should  care 
to  do  it  —  you  will  have  to  bring  heavier  artillery  into  the  field 
than  you  have  yet  deployed.  She  has  grown  into  maturity  and 
power  that  surprises  me,  and  which  should  alarm  you.  I  told 
you  once  that  I  thought  you  might  Vv-in  her  in  time.  I  have 
changed  my  mind.  Her  hand  you  may  secure  by  the  use  of 
proper  agencies.  She  has  no  heart  to  give  you  —  she  never 
will  have." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  she  is  pining  after  that  dead  Yankee?" 

I  drew  away  from  him.  I  wish  I  had  struck  him,  as  I  was 
tempted  to  do.  He  who  sneers  at  a  brave  rival  in  his  bloody 
grave,  deserves  chastisement  from  a  woman's  hand :  he  is  too 
mean  an  opponent  to  be  touched  by  a  true  man, 

"  I  meant  what  I  said,"  I  returned,  with  hauteur.  "  You 
may  force  Elinor  into  a  marriage  with  you  :  she  will  never  love 
you.     Allow  me  to  say,  that  she  would  be  a  fool  if  she  did." 

"  She  shall  marry  me  !  "  he  retorted,  gnashing — not  clinch- 
ing —  his  teeth  in  tigerish  ferocity,  that  ruined  his  good  looks 
while  the  fit  lasted. 

"  I  believe  you  to  be  capable  of  making  her  do  it."  And  I 
sauntered  back  to  my  piano  and  the  saffron  music-sheets. 

lie  is  to  spend  some  days  at  his  brother's,  and  he  will  proba- 
bly do  his  best  to  enliven  the  gloomy  quiet  of  this  haunted  old 
castle.  It  is  refreshing  to  see  a  smartly  dressed,  handsome 
young  man  about  the  house,  if  he  is  in  love  with  another 
woman.  *  *  * 

Night. 

I  had  an  adventure  this  afternoon.  I  rarely  ramble  out  of 
sight  of  the  house  ;  but  Mrs.  Lacy  and  Carrie,  convoyed  by  a 
train  of  sable  attendants,  were  beund  upon  a  berrying  expedi- 
tion to  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  where,  upon  a  rocky  shelf  over- 
hano:in2:  the  morass,  are  to  be  found  abundant  store  of  black 
raspberries   and   early  huckleberries,  besides  wild-flowers  and 


SUNNYBANK.  27o 

mosses.  Elinor  looked  pallid  and  drooping,  and  was  advised 
by  Mamma  to  stay  at  home.  The  sun  was  hot,  and  stooping' 
over  the  berry-bushes  would  aggravate  the  headache,  which,  ir 
appeared,  had  tormented  the  silent  saint  all  day.  Mr.  LaCy 
instantly  declared  his  disinclination  to  the  excursion  ;  and  we 
left  the  daughter  comforta-bly  established  upon  the  settee  in  tho 
airy  hall,  —  the  Venetian  blinds,  which  form  the  day-doors  of 
front  and  back  entrances,  closed,  that  the  glare  might  not  offend 
her  eyes,  —  and  Papa  seated  by  her  in  his  large  straw  chair,  { 
favorite  volume  upon  his  knee,  ready  to  read  or  talk,  as  kis  ido;. 
willed. 

I,  for  whose  complexion  and  general  temperature   nobodj 
cares  one  jot,  had  to  don  my  wide-brimtned  "  iiat,"  and  trudgi 
at  my  Lady's  heels  down  the  lane,  pact  the  burying-grouud 
through  the  pasture,  —  where  the  \yAvs  lay,  with  an  aspect  of 
malicious  enjoyment  in  the  shade  ol  the  willows,  or  stood  above 
their  knees  in  the  stream,  while  T/e  were  panting  under  the  fer- 
vid heat  of  a  June  sun,  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.,  —  up  a  hill  and 
into  a  forest,  where  there  was,  at  least,  comparative  coolness, 
and  so  on  to  the  verge  of  the  maple  swamp. 

*'  Your  mother  and  I  often  took  this  walk  in  company,'*  re- 
marked my  Lady,  complacently,  when  we  were  midway  across 
the  unshaded  meadow.  *'  There  is  not  another  on  the  planta- 
tion that  is  more  pleasantly  associated  with  her  in  my  recollec- 
tion. She  was  fond  of  country  sports  —  berrying,  fishing,  and 
rowing.  It  was  a  delight  to  be  with  her  on  such  occasions. 
She  entered  into  the  pursuit  of  the  hour  with  charming  spirit. 
Her  enthusiasm  was  artless  as  a  child's." 

A  pensive  sigh  to  the  engaging  qualities  of  her  former  com- 
panion put  a  neat  period  to  this  passage  of  her  early  history. 

There  were  several  salient  touches  in  her  speech,  each  of 
which  I  perceived,  as  she  brought  it  out.  It  must  be  kept  be 
fore  me  that  my  mother  was,  like  myself,  a  humble  retainer 
of  the  honorable  house  of  Ross-Lacy,  and  that  she  had  acquitted 
herself  more  to  the  satisfaction  of  her  great  friends  than  her 
degenerate  daughter  was  doing,  —  my  obedience  being  merely 


274  SUNNYBANK. 

passive,  while  she  clanked  her  chains  and  made  merry  music  for 
the  ears  of  her  patrons. 

''She  was  a  very  amiable  person  —  was  she  not,  ma'am?" 
I  queried,  in  satirical  meekness. 

"She  was  very  lovely  in  person  and  character,"  I  was  as- 
sured ;  and  I  drew  the  implied  inference,  that  her  child  would 
do  well  to  imitate  her  in  respect  to  moral  attributes. 

"Do  I  resemble  her  at  all  —  in  appearance?"  I  next  in- 
quired. 

"  Very  little  —  less  than  when  you  first  came  to  Virginia, 
You  are  growing  more  like  your  father." 

Which  was  a  "  settler." 

I  want  to  preserve  the  memory  of  all  these  pin-pricks.  I 
would  not  forget  one,  or  have  them  irritate  me  less  burningly. 
I  made  a  grimace  in  the  shadow  of  my  broad-brim,  and  trotted 
along  behind  my  mistress,  the  dozen  picaninnies  behind  me, 
until  we  gained  the  berry-patch.  Then  we  scattered  in  groups, 
or  singly,  in  the  interest  of  picking  the  fruit.  Carrie  kept 
near  her  mother ;  the  negroes  and  I  went  our  several  ways. 
I  strayed  off  gradually  out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  the  rest, 
and  preferring,  at  all  seasons,-  to  eat,  rather  than  gather  ber- 
ries for  others'  consumption,  I  perched  myself  upon  a  rock, 
with  my  tired  spine  against  a  pine-tree,  and  began  devouring 
the  contents  of  my  basket.  This  was  naughty  and  greedy  — 
above  all,  wasteful.  My  Lady  was,  in  the  halcyon  days  of  her 
housewifery,  a  very  Mrs.  Rundle  in  the  matter  of  preserves,  and 
jellies,  and  jams,  and  sweet  pickles,  and  beriy-vinegars,  and 
canned  fruits,  and  everything  else  that  could  be  concocted  out 
of  sugar  and  fruit  for  the  titillation  of  the  palate  and  subse- 
quent remorse  of  stomach.  But  times  have  changed.  With 
coarse  brown  sugar  at  forty  dollars  a  pound,  and  refined  loaf 
nowhere  to  be  procured,  the  production  of  these  delicacies  is 
impracticable.  Still,  however,  our  notable  feminine  commissa- 
riat offers  us  a  substitute  in  berries  stewed  in  sorghum,  the  sirup 
being  likewise  of  domestic  manufacture.     Every  plantation  has 


SUNNYBANK.  275 

its  field  of  Chinese  sugar-cane,  its  mill  for  crushing  the  green 
stalks,  and  kettle  for  boiling  do^\Ti  the  juice. 

"  These  have,  at  any  rate,  the  merit  of  being  wholesome,"  I 
heard  her  say  to  Rachel,  her  Vizier,  to-day. 

"And  dried  huckleberries  make  putty  fia'r  pies,  when  folks 
can't  do  better,"  added  the  sable  oracle. 

Thus   forewarned   that   our   excursion  was   not  for  present 
pleasure,  but  future  profit,  I  had  hearkened  with  inward  sneers 
to  the  innocent  encomiums  upon  my  parent  delivered,  en  'pas- 
sant^ by  my  future  Mamma-in-law.     I  was  hot  and  thirsty  ;  the 
berries  contained  a  flavorous  acid,  which  I  expressed  with  the 
utmost  gratification  upon  my  dry  tongue  and  throat,  resolving, 
as  I  did  so,  to  account  for  my  empty  basket,  should  I  eat  them 
all,  by  improvising  a  story  of  an  upset  and  a  spill-out.     It  was 
cool  and  still  up  where  I  sat,  and  I  overlooked  the  swamp,  with 
its  mass  of  maples  and  tangled  undergrowth.      The  natural 
features  of  the  spot  are  singular.     A  ledge  of  rock  in  the  form 
of  a  horse-shoe  is  the  abrupt  termination  of  the  forest  of  laro-er 
trees  —  oaks,  hickories,  and  poplars.     Partially  enclosed  by  this 
wall  of  earth  and  stone,  which  descends  steeply  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet,  lies  the  sunken  swamp,  irreclaimable  for  tillage,  and  use- 
less, except  when  frozen  over  in  the  winter.     Then  the  noise  of 
the  axe  is  heard,  day  after  day,  through  its  dismal  recesses,  and 
many  cords  of  fire-wood  are  piled  upon  the  higher  and  firmer 
ground,  to  be  hauled  to  the  house.     At  this  season  of  the  year 
the  place  is  lonely  and  quiet  as  a  graveyard.     The  sunbeams 
were  peeping  through  the  boughs  over  my  head ;  rejoicing  the 
tiny  flowers  and  the  mosses  —  russet,  crimson,  and  green  —  that 
carpeted  the  rocks,  and  every  little  Vvhile  a  gentle  whisper  ran 
from  tmg  to   twig,  the  zephyrs  coquetting  with  the  oak  leaves 
and  prim  pine-needles.    Below,  the  mists  of  evening  were  gather- 
ing in  the  thickets,  and  their  chiU  creeping  upwards  to  my  seat. 
Not  a  spray  quivered,  not  a  bird  chirped.     It  looked  like  an  ac- 
cursed region —  the  home,  as  it  is  said  to  be  in  autumn,  of  ague 
and  typhus.     Sunnybank  stands  too  high  upon  the  ridge,  and 
is  too  far  removed  from  this  fever-nest,  to  be  aflTected  by  its 


276  SUNNYBANK. 

unwholesome  airs  ;  but  a  few  plebeians,  who  tUl  a  limited  number 
of  acres  on  the  other  side  of  the  swamp,  have  an  annual  visita- 
tion of  the  plague.  My  Grandfather  Finely  lived  just  back  of 
it,  and  his  family  were  sufferers  from  malaria  until  he  died,  too 
tardily  for  their  good.  My  Lady  took  the  eldest  daughter,  and 
the  rest  dispersed  to  various  quarters  of  the  globe. 

I  was  meditating  upon  these  and  kindred  topics,  munching 
my  fruit  the  while,  when  a  rustling  below  me  called  my  notice 
to  the  foot  of  the  cliff.  There  stood  a  man  motioning  to  me  ta 
be  silent,  and  not  to  move !  I  am  sure  there  was  not  a  drop  of 
blood  in  my  cheeks  and  lips  as  I  obeyed  the  peremptory  signal. 
It  is  questionable  whether  I  could  have  moved  had  I  desired  to 
fly.  He  climbed  the  rock  like  a  squirrel,  until  his  head  was  on 
a  level  with  mine.  He  had  a  small,  wiry  figure,  keen  eyes,  and 
reddish  hair.  His  face  was  shrewd,  but  not  wicked,  and  his 
smile  quieted  my  tremor  before  he  bade  me  not  be  frightened. 
He  spoke  softly  and  rapidly,  and  his  accent  showed  at  once 
that  he  was  a  Yankee. 

"  And  if  a  Yankee  —  a  spy,  or  scout,  which  means  the  same 
thing  ! "  said  my  quick  ^vit.  "  Oh,  for  the  strength  and  weapons 
of  a  man  !  " 

"  Miss  Lacy  ?  "  said  the  spy,  interrogatively. 

I  bowed. 

"  I  am  Miss  Lacy.     What  is  your  business  with  me  ?  " 

"I  promised  a  friend  —  Sergeant  Merrill  —  to  deliver  this 
into  your  hands.  I  have  been  hanging  around  all  day,  looking 
for  you.  I  knew  you  the  minute  I  saw  you,  from  his  descrip- 
tion.    He  told  me  to  say  that  he  was  well,  and  again  at  work." 

"  In  the  army,  I  suppose?  "  said  I,  intelligently. 

He  nodded. 

*'  Would  you  mind  giving  me  a  line,  to  let  him  know  that  his 
note  was  received?     He  would  prize  it  very  much." 

I  hesitated. 

'VWoulditbe  safe?" 

"  Oh,  for  that  matter,  you  won't  sign  your  name  in  fuU. 
Y'ou'll  find  no  du'ection  or  signature  to  this"  —  touching  the 


SUNNYBANK.  277 

envelope  he  had  given  me  ;    "  that  wouldn't  be  safe,  as  you 
say." 

"  I  have  neither  pencil  nor  paper  here,"  I  next  objected. 
*'  You  must  take  a  verbal  message." 

He  produced  a  slip  of  paper  from  his  pocket,  and  the  stump 
of  a  cedar  pencil.  Without  further  demur,  I  scribbled  what  he 
had  asked  —  one  line  —  using  the  rough  face  of  the  rock  for 
my  desk. 

"I  am  in  receipt  of  your  welcome  favor.  E.  L.,  Sunny- 
bank." 

"  That  is  not  a  bad  idea  —  that  last  word,"  laughed  the  spy. 
"  It  will  pass  as  a  surname,  and  bother  whomsoever  may  hap- 
pen to  overhaul  me.  Am  I  to  say  you  are  all  well  ?  Is  there 
anything  he  can  do  for  you  ?  He'd  go  through  fire  and  water 
to  serve  you." 

"  We  are  well,  and  he  can  do  nothing  for  me,  thank  you." 

He  tucked  the  scrap  of  paper  into  the  lining  of  his  cap,  slid 
down  the  bank,  waved  his  hand  in  adieu,  and  vanished  in  the 
dense  underbrush. 

I  examined  the  envelope  carefully.  It  was  sealed,  but  not 
directed,  and  marked  in  one  corner  with  hieroglyphics,  that 
doubtless  had  their  meaning  to  the  bearer,  but  which  looked 
more  to  me  like  a  turkey's  claw  than  anything  else.  The  mur- 
mur of  voices  drawing  near  signalled  me  to  pocket  the  missive 
and  recommence  my  berry-picking.  Mrs.  Lacy  and  Carrie 
soon  appeared  with  loaded  baskets,  and  in  excellent  spirits  at 
their  success. 

*'  I  had  quite  as  many,"  I  said,  mournfully ;  "  but  I  tipped 
over  my  basket,  and  two  thirds  of  them  rolled  down  the  bank." 

"I  don't  see  them,"  said  Carrie,  pertly,  peering  over  tbe 
rocky  wall. 

"  That  is  very  likely,  dear.  They  are  not  so  easily  seen  as  a 
certain  little  friend  of  mine  would  be,  if  she  were  to  lose  her 
balance,  and  fall  in  the  same  direction.  But  the  birds  will  have 
a  nice  breakfast  to-morrow  morning.  They  have  keener  eyes 
than  yours." 

24 


278  SUNNYBANK. 

Mrs.  Lacy  had  taken  my  seat  at  the  root  of  the  pine,  and 
removed  her  bonnet.  She  was  flushed  with  exercise  and  the 
summer  weather  ;  and  this,  with  her  bright  eyes,  dark,  luxuriant 
hair,  and  changeful  countenance,  made  her  seem  absurdly  youth- 
ful, whep  one  thought  of  her  three  grown  children. 

*'  I  am  a  child  again,  in  feeling,  when  I  wander  in  these 
woods,"  she  said.  "  Here  there  has  been  no  visible  change  for 
forty  years.  I  picked  berries,  and  built  grottoes  of  stones, 
roofed  with  moss,  on  this  spot  when  I  was  no  older  than  Carrie, 
here.  The  trees  may  be  taller,  and  larger  in  girth  ;  but  they 
looked  more  gigantic  to  me  then  than  they  do  now.  It  would 
try  me  sorely  to  have  this  forest  levelled.  I  like  the  swamp, 
too,  with  its  rank  verdure,  its  poisonous-looking  flowers,  and 
tlie  vines  that  used  always  to  remind  me  of  the  story  I  had  read 
of  an  enchanted  forest,  where  the  vines  were  changed  into 
writhing  serpents." 

"What  a  conception!"  I  feigned  a  shudder.  "I  shall 
never  walk  under  a  wild  grape-vine  after  this,  without  fancying 
that  it  may  turn  into  a  boa-constrictor.  I  have  a  mortal  dread 
of  snakes." 

"  The  taste  of  the  foolish  countryman,  who  took  the  frozen 
one  to  his  bosom,  seems  inexplicable  to  you,  then?"  smiled 
my  Lady.  "  Yet  one  cannot  help  feeling  a  certain  degree  of 
sympathy  for  the  poor  victim  of  misplaced  confidence." 

Having  aimed  this  polished  shaft  plump  at  me,  she  took  up 
her  bonnet,  with  the  remark,  that  it  was  growing  too  late  to 
stay  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  swamp,  and  marshalled  her 
satellites  for  the  return  procession. 

It  is  superfluous  to  observe,  that,  when  I  accepted  the  letter 
from  the  gallant  sergeant's  messenger,  it  was  with  no  intention 
of  iiivin";  it  to  his  fair  nurse.  Yet  it  still  lies  before  me  un- 
opened.  It  is  late  in  the  day  for  me  to  hesitate  at  committing 
deeds  which  the  world  in  general  would  stigmatize  as  unfair. 
The  weak  and  the  fortunate  can  afibrd  to  be  scrupulous.  I 
have  tramped  over  so  many  prejudices  in  my  day,  that  my  con- 
science is  not  sensitive  about  chimeras  nobody  really  believes 


SUNNYBANK.  279 

iu,  yet  which  it  is  the  fashion  to  reverence  outwardly.  The 
difference  between  my  practice  and  that  of  pious  respectability 
is,  that  I  am  consistent  in  despising  certain  squeamish  notions 
respecting  the  manner  in  which  it  is  lawful  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  private  affairs  of  one's  neighbors.  I  have  seen  scores 
of  women  who  would  show  the  whites  of  their  eyes  in  holy 
horror  at  the  thought  of  peeping  through  a  keyhole,  or  listening 
behind  a  door,  or  reading,  without  permission,  a  letter  addressed 
to  another  person.  I  never  saw  one  who  I  did  not  firmly  be- 
lieve would  do  all  three  of  these  things,  if  she  could  thus  gratify 
a  lively  curiosity  without  being  found  out.  Still,  something  has 
held  me  back  from  opening  this  dingy  envelope,  which  smells 
of  tobacco,  and  which  has  probably  lain  in  the  pocket  of  that 
travel-stained  spy  for  many  days.  Are  the  cabalistic  characters 
in  the  corner  a  charm  to  keep  off  prying  fingers  ?  If  I  open  it, 
will  I  be  repaid  for  my  trouble  in  secreting  it,  and  tampering 
with  what  is  honestly  and  truly  the  property  of  another?  Since 
no  names  of  persons  or  places  are  mentioned  in  it,  what  infor- 
mation can  I  gain  from  a  perusal?  Maybe,  too,  it  is  written 
in  cipher,  and  that  Elinor  has  the  key,  while  to  me  it  would  be 
worse  than  Hebrew.  This  is  likely  enough.  They  had  time  to 
invent  some  such  method  of  correspondence  during  the  weeks 
he  spent  in  Mammy  Rachel's  cabin.  How  Rolf  raved  when 
he  heard  of  it !  Had  the  flight  been  postponed  until  I  had  time 
to  communicate  with  the  Major,  Sergeant  Merrill  —  that  was 
his  name,  according  to  the  spy's  pronunciation  —  would  have 
enjoyed  a  safe  and  quick  passage  back  to  the  Libby.  It  is  the 
nature  of  his  tribe  to  grovel  and  dig,  and  they  turned  their 
instincts  to  valuable  purpose  when  they  burrowed  under  the 
prison  wall. 

But  the  letter.  Would  I  not  advance  my  schemes  by  devising 
some  way  of  transmitting  it  to  the  small  conspirator,  without 
my  agency  in  the  affair  being  suspected?  Might  not  the  cir- 
cumstance be  used  with  effect  hereafter,  or  she  be  intrapped 
into  some  imprudent  act  by  the  contents  of  the  epistle  that 
would  involve  others  connected  with  her? 


280  SUNNYBANK. 

To  cast  aside  subterfuge,  something  within  warns  me  against 
making  free  with  that  seal.  For,  besides  being  fastened  in  the 
usual  manner,  it  bears  a  big,  green  seal,  with  a  motto  upon  it 
which  I  cannot  make  out,  but  which  looks  mysteriously  aristo- 
cratic for  a  common  soldier's  use.  There  may  be  some  mean- 
ing in  it,  which  she  would  miss  were  I  to  open  and  re-enclose  it. 

Hark  !  Was  that  thunder?  A  shower  is  rising.  My  scout- 
ing friend  will  find  his  swamp  a  damp  lodging-place.  A  daz- 
zling gleam  of  lightning  !  I  will  throw  this  vexed  question  into 
the  hands  of  Fate.  My  Lady  says  there  is  a  Providence  in  all 
things,  minute  and  great.  I  have  laid  my  watch  down  upon  the 
table.  When  the  next  flash  comes,  I  will  look  at  the  second- 
hand, and  mark  the  time  that  intervenes  before  the  answering 
peal.  Should  it  be  less  than  two  minutes,  I  will  open  the  letter, 
and  exercise  my  discretion  as  to  the  further  disposition  of  it. 

There  it  is  !     A  whole  minute,  and  all  is  hushed  as  death. 

ThTrty    seconds    more  —  forty  —  fifty Great   heavens  ! 

what  a  crash ! 

Morning. 

That  was  a  terrific  storm  last  night.  I  did  not  sleep  a  wink 
until  dawn.  As  I  stood  at  my  window  just  now,  I  overheard 
one  of  the  servants  say  that  the  big  pine  tree,  under  which  I 
''sat  yesterday,  was  cloven  from  crown  to  root  by  the  lightning. 
It  would  have  been  better  for  some  people  I  wot  of  if  the  bolt 
had  fallen  while  the  stately  tent  sheltered  me.  But  as  for  me, 
I  am  content  to  live.  I  am  quite  myself  again.  The  fine, 
breezy  morning  has  helped  me  arrange  my  wits.  Only  my 
blood  still  runs  slowly  and  chill  when  I  think  of  the  risk  I  in- 
curred in  leaving  to  chance  the  opening  of  tha/  latter.  If  I 
had  not  read  it 

I  have  burned  it,'and  scattered  the  ashes  to  tht   sfi'^^-L, 


SUNNYBANK.  281 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


ELINOR. 


Richmond,  July  28. 
It  is  a  hot,  breathless  uight.  The  air  is  warm  and  humid, 
and  my  lungs  labor  in  taking  it  in.  The  lamp  does  not  flicker 
by  the  open  window,  where  I  have  sat  since  I  crept  away  on 
tiptoe  from  the  adjoining  room,  leaving  Mamma  in  a  quiet 
sleep  after  her  day  of  mental  anxiety  and  bodily  exhaustion. 
Without  all  is  pitchy  dark,  save  for  the  dull  glare  of  an  occa- 
sional street  lamp,  and  in  the  north — where  hung  the  glorious 
rainbow  on  that  April  day  three  years  ago  —  the  fitful  play  of 
distant  lightning.  The  city  is  very  quiet  under  this  funereal 
pall  —  quiet  that  may  be  rudely  broken  up  by  and  by,  as  it  has 
been  many  other  nights  since  we  have  been  here,  by  the  discor- 
dant jangle  of  the  alarm  bells  and  the  boom  of  cannon  —  si^-uals 
that  the  Federal  army  has  accomplished  some  movement  which 
threatens  the  beleaguered  capital.  These  are  often  false  alarms, 
but  the  effect  is  none  the  less  startling  on  that  account.  No  one 
can  say  when  real  danger  may  confront  us. 

I  should  not  say  "  us."  The  entrance  of  the  besiegers  would 
bring  blessed  relief  to  our  mourning  souls.  It  is  treason  to 
write,  or  speak,  or  think  this  here ;  but  what  signifies  circum- 
spection on  the  part  of  a  family  already  attainted  as  traitors  ? 

What  a  dragging,  wearisome  summer  this  has  been  !  What 
a  dreary  age  has  elapsed  since  that  happy  June  evening  that 
brought  us  letters  from  our  absentees  —  news  of  their  safety, 
and  the  kindness  showed  to  them  in  their  imprisonment  by  our 
steadfast  friend.  Uncle  Charley  !  The  letters  arrived  at  sunset. 
We  were  all  seated  in  the  front  porch,  when  the  servant  we 
24* 


282  SUNNYBANK. 

had  sent  to  the  post  office  rode  up,  and  gave  Papa  a  bulky- 
package. 

"  From  Rolf  Kingston,"  he  said ;  and  out  dropped  two  en- 
velopes, each  with  the  joyful  inscription  in  the  corner,  "  via 
flag  of  truce." 

I  screamed  with  joy,  for  I  recognized  Ross'  handwriting  upon 
one  ;  and  Mamma,  catching  up  the  other,  cried  out,  — 

"  This  is  from  Lynn  !     It  is  for  you,  Agatha." 

Agatha  changed  color  so  rapidly  I  feared  she  was  about  to 
faint.  But  when  I  sprang  to  her  side  with  offers  of  assistance, 
she  pushed  me  away,  and  walked  into  the  house,  carrying  her 
letter  with  her.  Ross'  was  enjoyed  by  the  rest  of  us.  It  was 
but  a  single  page  long,  and  every  word  was  precious.  His  tone 
was  brave  and  hopeful. 

"  Uncle  Charley  has  been  to  see  us,"  he  wrote.  "  The  sight 
of  his  face  was  worth  all  the  boxes  of  comforts  he  has  sent  us, 
and  that  is  saying  much.  Books,  clothing,  provisions,  and 
money  are  never  despicable.  To  be  appreciated,  one  must  be 
captured  as  we  M'ere,  without  a  change  of  garments,  and  with 
our  pocket-books  filled  with  Confederate  notes." 

Papa  read  the  letter  aloud,  —  Mamma  and  I  afterward, 
singly,  with  tearful  smiles,  and  hearts  overrunning  with  thank- 
fulness. We  were  still  discussing  the  glad  tidings  in  the  rosy 
twilight,  when  we  espied  several  dark  objects  moving  down  the 
lane,  and  heard  the  tramp  of  horses. 

"  A  visitation,"  said  Papa,  gayly,  rising  as  the  strangers  en- 
tered the  yard  gate.  "  I  am  in  such  good  humor  to-night, 
that  I  could  treat  with  civility  the  prince  of  the  reigning 
powers." 

We  never  said  "rebel"  or  "  secessionist"  in  Carrie's  hearing. 
Mamma  laughed  in  lightness  of  heart.  She  has  never  laughed 
80  since. 

The  intruders  were  six  soldiers,  in  Confederate  uniform, 
headed  by  a  Colonel,  whom  Papa  knew  and  called  by  name, 
courteously,  as  he  walked  up  the  steps. 

"  Can  I  have  a  moment's  private  conversation  with  you,  Mr. 


SUNNYBANK.  283 

Lacy  ?  "  asked  the  officer,  when  he  had  acknowledged  the  intro- 
duction to  Mamma  and  myself. 

His  voice  was  grave,  and,  I  fancied,  agitated.  I  looked  after 
•the  two  anxiously  as  they  withdrew  to  the  other  end  of  the 
long  porch,  and  stood  with  their  backs  to  us,  engaged  in  low 
conversation.  The  remaining  members  of  the  party  had  dis- 
mounted, and  were  awaiting  the  movements  of  their  leader  in 
silence.  But  for  the  letters  we  had  just  received,  my  thoughts 
would  have  flown  instantly  to  my  brothers ;  my  sisterly  fear 
conjured  up  the  darkest  imaginations  of  evil  that  could  befall 
them.  Free  of  this  solicitude,  I  was  nevertheless  ill  at  ease. 
There  was  a  sense  of  constraint  and  discomfort  in  the  proximity 
of  the  soldiers,  and  I  was  pleased  when  Carrie  said  she  wanted 
a  drink  of  water.  It  affiDrded  me  a  pretext  for  taking  her  into 
the  dining-room,  and  ridding  myself  of  the  sight  of  those  erect, 
motionless  forms,  showing  in  the  dusk  like  black  marble  statues. 
Mamma  followed  us.  There  were  lights  in  the  dining-room, 
and  the  table  was  already  laid  for  our  small  family. 

"  Colonel  Langdon  will  remain  to  supper  I  suppose,"  re- 
marked Mamma,  taking  her  key -basket  from  her  arm.  *'  And 
since  he  has  probably  had  a  fatiguing  day,  we  ought  to  have 
something  warm  and  substantial  for  him  and  his  men.  "Will 
you  call  Rachel,  my  dear  ?  " 

Before  I  could  stir  to  obey.  Papa  entered.  So  devoid  of  all 
suspicion  was  I,  that  my  thought  at  seeing  him  was,  what  a  no- 
ble, handsome  man  he  was.  The  Colonel  had  attended  him  to 
this  apartment,  and  stood  in  the  open  door,  within  hearing  of 
every  word  spoken.  Still  I  was  not  alarmed.  What  should 
I  fear  for  my  father,  knowing  him  as  I  did?  He  walked 
straight  up  to  Mamma  with  a  mien  of  chivalric  tenderness,  such 
as  few  men  wear  toward  those  whom  they  have  called  wives 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  took  both  her  hands  in 
bis,  and  pressed  them  first  to  his  lips,  then  to  his  heart. 

"  Ida,  love  !  my  brave,  good  wife  !  you  have  never  failed  me 
in  the  hour  of  need.  For  my  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  our 
children,  be  strong  now.     Trust  in  God  and  in  your  husband's 


284  SUNNYBANK. 

integrity.  I  am  aiTested  upon  a  charge  of  carrying  on  a  trea- 
sonable correspondence  with  the  enemies  of  the  Confederate 
Government.  I  am  innocent.  You  believe  this  upon  my  sim- 
ple assertion.  I  hope  to  clear  myself  in  the  eyes  of  those  whc^ 
will  require  other  proof.  Nellie,  daughter !  I  wish  that  you, 
with  Mamma,  could  have  been  spared  this  ;  but  since  it  is  other- 
wise ordained,  you  will  show  yourself  the  woman  you  are." 

Anything  like  the  wild,  appealing  terror,  the  love  and  agony 
of  Mamma's  eyes,  as  he  mentioned  his  arrest,  I  have  never 
witnessed  in  another  countenance.  But  when  he  ceased  speak- 
ing, she  bowed  her  face  upon  the  dear  hands  clasping  hers  for 
an  instant — just  one  —  then  lifted  herself,  calmly,  proudly. 

*'  I  will  do  as  you  wish,  Morton.  Must  you  go  to-night?  and 
to  what  place  ?  " 

Colonel  Langdon  advanced  at  this  query. 

"  I  lament  more  deeply  than  I  can  tell  you,  Mrs.  Lacy,  that 
obedience  to  orders  has  put  this  unpleasant  task  upon  me. 
Whatever  I  can  do  consistently  with  my  duty  to  render  your 
situation  comfortable.  Sir,  I  will  perform  most  gladly.  There 
is  no  necessity  or  propriety  in  separating  you  from  your  family 
to-night.  I  shall  be  compelled  to  place  a  guard  about  the  house 
and  at  the  door  of  your  room.  The  strict  letter  of  my  com- 
mands would  oblige  me  to  set  one  within  your  chamber,  that  no 
communication  upon  the  subject  of  your  arrest  may  pass  un- 
heard. But  I  will  content  myself  with  requesting  your  pledge 
that  you  will  not  speak  to  any  member  of  your  family  with 
regard  to  the  offence  with  which  you  stand  charged." 

"  I  thank  you,  Sir,  and  willingly  give  the  promise  you  de- 
sire," replied  Papa,  politely  and  gratefully. 

"  It  will  be  further  expedient  to  seal  up  your  private  papers 
for  examination  before  the  Commissioner,"  added  Colonel 
Lansdon,  with  evident  reluctance. 

Papa  bowed. 

"  I  do  not  object,  provided  I  have  a  guarantee  for  the  safe 
return  to  my  wife's  care  of  such  as  are  deemed  irrelevant  to 
the  case  to  be  tried.     I  will  go  with  you  to  my  study.     Ida, 


SUiNNYBANK.  285 

dear !  wiU  you  see  that  supper  is  prepared,  and  rooms  made 
ready  for  this  gentleman  and  his  companions  ?  " 

^  I  would  not  sit  down  to  the  table  with  the  guests  who  were 
bidden  to  the  family  meal  until  Papa,  noticing  my  absence,  sent 
me  a  message  to  the  effect  that  I  would  gratify  him  by  taking 
my  usual  place  at  his  right  hand.    Mamma  presided  —  still  pale° 
but  calm  ;  her  tones  clear  and  full,  her  demeanor  to  the  Colonel 
and  his  companions  that  of  the  thorough-bred  hostess  and  lady. 
Papa  led  the   conversation  to  indifferent  topics  —  the  weather, 
the  crops,  different  modes  of  farming,  and  the  like.     For  aught 
that  the  servants  or  other  mere  lookers-on  could  discover,°he 
was  on  a  footing  of  friendly  intercourse  with  his  visitors,  and 
had  no  occasion  for  special  uneasiness   growing  out  of   their 
arrival.    After  supper  he  sat  in  the  parlor  with  Colonel  Langdon, 
while  Mamma   and  I  packed  a  valise  with  clothing  and  other 
necessaries.    This  was  done  in  the  presence  of  a  guard,  who,  less 
gentlemanly  than  his  superior,  eyed  each  article  narrowly  as  we 
put  it  in,  and  commented  freely  upon  whatever  struck  his  fancy. 

"  Reckon  the  raiders  haven't  been  so  hard  upon  you  as  they 
have  upon  your  neighbors,"  he  observed,  when  Papa's  dressing- 
case  was  produced.  "  That  'ere  article  wouldn't  have  stood  no 
chance  if  a  Yank  had  happened  to  spy  it.  Most  of  us  Confeds 
have  forgotten  the  looks  of  a  piece  of  soap,  let  alone  such  razors, 
as  them." 

"  Those  are  not  the  only  decencies  of  life  you  seem  to  have 
forgotten,"  said  Agatha,  severely.  She  had  come  in  unperceived 
by  any  of  us,  and  heard  this  observation.  "  If  it  is  not  an  essen- 
tial part  of  your  duty  to  make  remarks  upon  anything  and  every- 
thing you  see  to  which  you  are  not  accustomed,  may  we  ask  you, 
as  the  only  favor  you  can  possibly  grant  us,  to  hold  your  tongue  ?" 

"Upon  my  soul,  you're  a  sassy  one  !  "  blustered  the  enraged 
private. 

"  And  upon  my  word,  which  is  worth  more  than  your  soul  in 
any  market,  if  you  open  your  lips  again  to  insult  these  ladies 
or  me,  I  will  report  you  on  the  spot  to  Colonel  Langdon  !  "  re- 
torted Agatha,  coolly.     Changing  her  tone  completely,  she  laid 


286  SUNNYBANK. 

her  hand  on  Mamma's  shoulder.  "  Dear  Mother  !  you  can  do 
him  more  real  service  by  staying  with  him  during  every  minute 
he  is  spared  to  you  than  by  this  work.  Nellie  and  I  will  finish 
packing." 

Mamma  submitted  after  a  brief  inward  struggle,  and  com- 
mitted the  task  to  our  hands.  When  the  valise  was  locked  and 
strapped,  we  left  it  in  care  of  the  guard,  as  he  told  us  we  must 
do,  and  went  down  stairs. 

Carrie,  who  comprehended  imperfectly  that  Papa  had  busi- 
ness that  called  him  away  from  home  on  the  morrow,  had 
climbed  upon  his  knee,  and  fallen  asleep,  leaning  against  his 
shoulder.  He  stroked  her  soft  curls,  from  time  to  time  ;  and 
once  I  saw  him  kiss  the  unconscious  head  nestled  confidingly 
upon  the  pillow  that  was  not  to  support  it  again  for  so  long. 
At  ten  o'clock,  the  servants  entered,  as  usual,  for  prayers  ;  and 
after  laying  Carrie  gently  upon  the  sofa.  Papa  took  his  usual 
place  at  the  head  of  the  room,  and,  surrounded  by  his  family,  he 
read  that  glorious  psalm  that  has  been  a  watchword  of  sublime 
consolation  to  the  Lord's  afflicted  in  all  ages  : 

*'  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble." 

Then  Mamma,  who  sat  at  the  piano,  struck  a  few  grand 
chords,  and  her  voice  arose  sweet  and  strong  —  Papa's  joining 
in  and  sustaining  it  from  the  first  note. 

"  Our  God,  our  help  in  ages  past, 
Our  hope  for  years  to  come, 
Our  refuge  from  the  stormy  blast, 
And  our  eternal  home." 

Then  followed  the  prayer  —  thanksgiving  for  mercies  re- 
ceived ;  supplication  for  strength  to  meet  what  the  morrow 
might  bring  to  do  or  to  bear  ;  affectionate  commendation  of  all 
those  present  to  the  Divine  care  for  the  night. 

Papa  remained  standing  when  he  arose  from  his  knees. 

"  I  have  a  word  to  say  to  you"  —  as  the  servants  were  about 
to  withraw.  "  I  am  compelled  to  leave  you  in  the  morning.^ 
perhaps  for  a  few  hours,  perhaps  for  several  days.     It  may  even 


SUNNYBAKK.  287 

be  that  I  shall  not  see  you  again  for  months.  I  am  in  the 
hands  of  a  Father, who  will  do  whatever  is  best  for  me  and 
mine.  I  leave  you  the  only  earthly  protectors  of  my  wife  and 
children.  You  have  been  faithful  to  us  in  the  past.  Be  very 
true  and  kind  to  your  mistress  while  I  am  away,  whatever 
scenes  of  trial  and  temptation  you  may  have  to  pass  through, 
and  remember  me  in  your  prayers.     God  bless  you  all !  " 

Thus  ended  the  last  evening  we  spent  together  at  Sunnybank. 
I  would  cherish  the  recollection  while  I  have  life  and  reason. 
Each  utterance  of  our  beloved  father  is  a  sacred  treasure  to  his 
children. 

His  preliminary  examination  took  place  that  week  at  the 
Court  House,  about  ten  miles  from  our  house.  He  was  not 
arraigned  before  a  regular  civil  tribunal,  but  a  military  com- 
mission, a  sort  of  Court  Martial,  as  I  understand  it.  Mamma 
and  I  were  admitted  to  his  room  on  the  morning  of  the  trial, 
and  were  allowed  to  accompany  him  into  the  Court  House.  My 
heart  throbbed  and  ached  to  bursting,  as  I  saw  him  take  the 
place  of  a  criminal  in  the  view  of  the  assembled  crowd,  most 
of  them  his  neighbors  and  former  friends.  He  exhibited  no 
token  of  discomposure.  His  fine  features  were  serious,  but  not 
sad,  and  as  his  eye  passed  from  one  familiar  face  to  another, 
and  settled  scrutinizingly  upon  the  witnesses,  he  appeared  more 
like  an  intelligent  and  interested  spectator,  than  one  whose  lib- 
erty, perhaps  whose  life,  hung  upon  the  transactions  of  that  day. 

The  first  witness  summoned  was  our  postmaster,  a  weak,  well- 
meaning  man,  but  an  incorrigible  busybody  and  gossip.  He 
testified  that  he  had  on  the  24th  day  of  June  found  in  the  letter- 
box, into  which  mail-matter  was  dropped  through  a  slit  in  the 
frame  of  the  post-office  window,  an  envelope  directed,  in  Mr. 
Lacy's  handwriting,  to  "  U.  S.  F.,  Richmond,  Virginia."  It 
was  unusually  bulky,  and  had,  as  he  imagined,  a  suspicious 
look.  Moreover,  when  he  began  to  study  the  address,  it 
occurred  to  him  that  the  initials  might  mean  "  United  States 
Friend." 

I  saw  Papa  repress  a  smile  as  the  man  complacently  brought 


288  SUNNYBANK. 

foYward  this  proof  of  his  sagacity.  He  had,  in  consicleration 
of  the  reports  in  circulation  derogatory  to  Mr.  Lacy's  loyalty, 
about  made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  his  duty,  as  a  good  citizen, 
to  intercept  the  letter,  and  submit  it  to  the  inspection  of  the 
proper  authorities,  when,  in  fingering  the  cover,  he  perceived 
that  it  was  unsealed.  It  appeared  to  have  been  closed  origi- 
nally ;  but  the  adhesive  gum  used  for  this  purpose  was  defective, 
and  had  not  held  the  two  parts  of  the  envelope  together.  He 
thereupon  took  the  liberty  —  precaution,  he  called  it  —  of  exam- 
ining the  contents  of  the  packet.  An  inner  envelope,  which 
appeared  to  have  several  sheets  within  it,  was  sealed,  and  direct- 
ed to  "  Mr.  Charles  Dana."  There  was  no  name  of  city  or  state 
appended  to  the  address  ;  but  the  postmaster  knew  that  the  gen- 
tleman for  whom  it  was  intended  had  removed  to  the  North 
nearly  two  years  ago. 

"  I  had  been  warned  repeatedly  to  look  out  for  letters  from 
Sunnybank  to  him,"  he  continued ;  "  and  after  seeing  this,  I 
could  no  longer  hesitate  as  to  the  path  of  right.     Instead  of 

mailing  it,  I  sent  it  to  General  B ,  at  Clay  Hall "  —  the 

nearest  militaiy  station.  "  I  know  nothing  more  of  the  matter 
from  personal  observation." 

Papa  had  declined  selecting  a  counsel  for  himself. 

"  I  should  only  embarrass  the  one  upon  whom  I  called  to  per- 
form this  friendly  office,"  he  said  to  me,  when  I  entreated  him 
not  to  slight  any  means  that  could  lead  to  his  release.  "  I  might 
endanger  him  as  well,  should  he,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty 
as  my  advocate,  seem  to  express  toleration  for  Unionism.  I  am 
competent  to  the  management  of  my  own  cause  —  at  least,  in 
the  preliminajy  stage." 

He  put  a  question  as  the  postmaster  was  leaving  the  wit- 
ness-box. 

"  Mr.  Shipley,  will  you  state  to  the  Court  by  whom  you  had 
been  warned  to  watch  all  letters  sent  by  mail  from  my  house  ?  " 

"  By  dozens  of  people  !  "  the  witness  replied,  doggedly. 

''  That  is  rather  a  vague  answer,"  rejoined  Papa,  preserving 
Ills  inimitable  courtesy  of  bearing  and  tone.     "  Can  you  name 


SUNNYBANK.  289 

tlie  person  who  informed  you  that  I  was  engaged  in  a  treason- 
able correspondence  ?  " 

"  Miss  Hetty  Strattou  spoke  to  me  about  it  several  times,  and 
so  did  Mrs.  Riley  and  Mr.  Coleman,  but  they  had  their  infor- 
mation from  Miss  Hetty,  they  said." 

Papa  bowed,  and  sat  down  ;  and  to  the  postmaster  succeeded 
General  B . 

After  confirming  Mr.  Shipley's  statement  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  letter  he  held  had  reached  him,  he  read  it  aloud.  It 
commenced,  "My  dear  Charley,"  and  purported  to  be  from 
Papa  to  our  absent  friend. 

''Enclosed  you  will  find  n  letter  for  my  boys,  who  were 
taken  prisoners,  May  12,  at  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania  Court 
House.  I  leave  it  to  you  to  discover  their  place  of  confine- 
ment, and  to  forward  my  epistle.  Do  not  condole  with  me 
upon  this  event.  None  other  since  the  beginning  of  the  war 
has  caused  me  such  satisfaction.  They  are  safe,  and  in  the  cus- 
tody of  their  best  friends,  loath  though  the  foolish  fellows  may 
be  to  acknowledge  this  truth.  The  end  is  not  distant,  and  when 
the  crash  comes,  they  will  be  better  off  on  the  other  side  of  the 
line.  Nothing  except  my  property  and  family  has  prevented  me 
from  following  in  your  footsteps  long  ago.  Situated  as  I  am,  I 
must  stand  my  ground,  and  take  the  chances  of  convincing  the 
army  of  deliverance  that  my  wishes  and  hopes,  my  prayers  and 
secret  labors,  have  ever  been  with  them.  The  horrible  tyranny 
under  which  we  groan  would  have  made  a  Union  man  of  me 
even  if  conscience  had  not  kept  me  on  the  right  side." 

Then  ensued  a  string  of  flippant  abuse  of  the  Confederate 
authorities,  and  allusions  to  sundry  oflicials  high  in  power,  these 
being  designated  by  their  initials.  Personalities  gave  way  to  a 
review  of  the  military  operations  of  the  Confederacy  during  the 
past  twelve  months ;  a  sneering  summary,  that  strengthened 
finally  into  savage  exultation  over  the  impending  ruin  of  the 
"  traitorous  combination,"  and  the  suffering  that  already  op- 
pressed the  masses  who  had  refused  to  listen  to  the  counsels  of 
the  opponents  of  secession.  Next  was  a  succinct  sketch  of  the 
25 


290  SUNNYBANK. 

present  condition  of  the  rebel  army,  their  assailable  and  impreg- 
nable fortifications,  the  number  of  available  troops,  etc.  Gen- 
eral B emphasized  this  portion  of  the  document  sternly, 

and  the  countenances  of  the  Court  darkened  as  they  listened. 
The  letter  closed  with  a  reference  to  information  previously  for- 
warded, and  which,  it  was  intimated,  had  been  acted  upon  with 
signal  benefit  to  the  Federal  cause. 

Papa  was  graver  as  the  reading  progressed ;  but  not  a  shade 
of  inquietude  crossed  his  face.  He  made  a  note  occasionally 
upon  a  sheet  of  paper  before  him,  but  offered  no  remark  when 
General  B left  the  stand. 

The  third  witness,  to  my  amazement,  w^as  Miss  Hetty  Strat- 
ton.  Not  that  I  doubted  her  inclination  to  play  the  informer 
against  those  "vvhom  she  openly  reviles  as  "  pestilential  Yankee- 
lovers  ; "  but  I  was  surprised  that  sensible  men,  like  those  who 
composed  the  board  of  examiners,  should  have  allowed  her  this 
public  opportunity  of  venting  her  spite.  It  was  very  hard  to 
confine  her  to  the  pith  of  the  narrative.  She  commenced  very 
glibly  by  giving  the  precise  date  of  a  visit  she  had  paid  us  — 
the  day  of  the  week  and  month  —  and  enunciating  in  a  solemn 
tone  the  words,  "  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1862."  It  was  the 
night  of  Uncle  Charley's  farewell  visit.  From  this  she  launched 
into  a  glowing  exposition  of  her  patriotism,  and  her  repeated 
publication  of  the  might  and  w^armth  of  her  zeal  for  the  glori- 
ous Confederacy.  At  this  point  the  Court  caught  up  with  her, 
and  turned  her  back  to  the  October  night  aforesaid. 

Papa  smiled  two  or  three  times  ;  and  some  of  the  audieuce 
laughed  outright  at  her  characteristic  oratory.  Sometimes  the 
question  whether  the  patient  examiner  would  ever  get  at  the 
true  drift  of  her  harangue  was  apparently  uppermost  in 
the  thoughts  of  all.  But  in  the  end  he  stripped  the  story  clear 
of  exaggerations,  and  digressions,  and  exclamations,  and  re- 
tailed it  to  the  Court. 

Miss  Hetty  had  been  on  the  alert  during  the  evening  she 
spent  in  our  company,  and  collected  enough  suspicious  material 
to  justify  her  in  sitting  up  all  night,  creeping  through  dark  halls 


SUNNYBANK.  291 

and  empty  bed-chambers,  listening  at  keyholes,  and  eavesdrop- 
ping at  windows  ;  the  fruit  of  all  which  laudable  labors  in  be- 
half of  the  holy  cause  of  southern  independence  was  the  dis- 
covery that  a  "  Yankee  spy  "  was  concealed  under  our  roof  at 
the  very  time  it  extended  hospitable  shelter  to  her  loyal  head  ; 
that  he  had  conferred  secretly  with  Papa,  Mamma,  and  myself; 
been  entertained  in  the  most  affectionate  manner  by  us,  and 
sent  on  his  way  before  dawn  the  following  morning. 

There  was  a  fine  disdain  in  Papa's  features  as  he  arose  to  ask 
a  qiiestion  in  his  turn. 

"  You  say  that  you  heard  and  saw  the  supposed  spy.  Miss 
Stratton.  Did  you  identify  him  as  an  acquaintance  of  your 
own?" 

"  I  did,  and  am  ready  to  swear  to  it !  "  she  answered,  defi- 
antly. "  I  came  here  prepared  with  replies  to  whatever  you 
might  have  the  face  to  ask  me,  Mr.  Lacy.  I  said  to  my  sister, 
before  leaving  home,  '  I  am  ready  to  be  bullied  and  insult- 
ed  '" 

Here  she  was  called  to  order. 

Papa  resumed :  — 

"  Will  you  please  state  to  the  Court  definitely  who  the  person 
was  who  talked  with  me  in  my  study,  slept  in  the  chamber  ad- 
joining that  room,  and  rode  away  from  my  side-door,  next 
morning?  " 

"  You  will  find  his  name  there,  just  as  you  wrote  it ! "  re- 
plied she,  tossing  a  soiled,  ragged  bit  of  paper  —  part  of  a  buff 
envelope  —  over  to  Papa. 

The  disdain  was  gone,  and  in  its  stead  was  a  melancholy  dig- 
nity that  impressed  the  most  thoughtless  there  as  he  examined 
the  fragment.  Then  he  handed  it  to  the  Judge  Advocate,  say- 
ing simply,  "  It  may  be  needed." 

Miss  Hetty  was  dismissed,  and  four  or  five  other  witnesses 
were  summoned ;  but  they  were  to  support  the  theory  that  the 
letter  was  in  Papa's  handwriting,  and  other  minor  matters. 
When  he  was  permitted  to  speak.  Papa's  defence  was  brief  and 
pointed.     He  denied  the  authorship  of  tlie  document  read  by 


*2\)2  '  SUNNYBANK. 

Gener*il  B ,  showing  that  no  one  but  a  fool  or  madman 

would  have  penned  this  paper,  environed  as  he  was  by  hundreds 
of  suspicious  eyes.  "  Had  my  aim  been  to  court  discovery  and 
punishment,  to  draw  down  upon  myself  and  my  family  speedy 
and  certain  ruin,  I  could  have  chosen  no  surer  method  of  ac- 
complishing this  than  to  trust  a  paper  so  singular  in  appearance 
and  superscription,  and  so  negligently  sealed  as  was  this  re- 
markable composition,  to  the  care  of  so  stanch  a  friend  of  the 
Confederate  government  as  I  have  long  known  Mr.  Shipley 
to  be." 

Then  he  analyzed  the  subject  matter  of  the  epistle,  showing 
tlie  information  imparted  to  his  alleged  correspondent  to  be  use- 
less as  imprudent.  Miss  Hetty  claimed  his  attention  next.  I 
could  not  sufficiently  admire  the  gentlemanly  forbearance,  the 
freedom  from  everything  like  bitterness  of  recrimination,  mani- 
fested in  his  review  of  her  testimony.  He  stated  the  simple 
facts  she  had  garbled  into  a  mystery  of  iniquity ;  the  visit  of 
his  friend,  Mr.  Dana,  who,  for  reasons  of  his  own,  and  uncon- 
nected with  the  Lacy  family,  requested  that  his  presence  in  the 
house  should  be  made  known  to  none  except  himself,  his  wife, 
and  daughter,  and  the  two  old  servants  whose  services  were 
required  to  provide  for  the  wants  of  the  guest  during  his  stay. 

"  The  envelope  which  I  have  passed  to  the  Judge  Advocate 
was  found  by  Miss  Stratton  on  the  floor  of  the  chamber  occu- 
pied that  night  by  Mr.  Dana.  It  is  the  cover  of  a  letter  written 
by  myself  to  a  very  dear  friend  then  resident  in  New  York 
city.  Mr.  Dana,  as  he  afterward  informed  me,  stripped  off 
the  envelope,  deeming  it  more  prudent  that  the  letter  should 
bear  neither  address  nor  signature.'* 

"Because  of  its  treasonable  import?"  interrupted  one  of  the 
Court,  rudely. 

"  The  contents  of  the  letter  were  strictly  personal  in  their 
character,"  rejoined  Papa,  unruffled  by  the  interruption. 
'•There  was  no  reference  whatever  made  in  it  to  political 
affairs." 

"  You  say  that  this  correspondent  was  then  residing  in  the 


SUNNYBANK.  293 

city  of  New  York  ? "  said  another  inquisitor.  '.'  Where  is  he 
now  ?  " 

"  He  is  dead,  sir  !  " 

"And  unless  we  have  been  misinformed,"  said  the  man, 
brutally,  "he  fell  in  battle  at  Gettysburg,  fighting  in  the 
Yankee  ranks." 

"  He  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  an  officer  in  the  Federal 
army." 

"  Were  you  aware  of  that  circumstance  when  you  wrote  the 
letter  from  which  this  envelope  was  removed  ?  "  asked  the  pre- 
siding officer. 

"  I  was  not !  " 

"When  were  you  informed  of  it  —  and  how?" 

"  I  learned  it  through  a  letter  from  my  son,  written  just  after 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  !  " 

"Did  you  write  to  Mr.  Wilton  subsequently  to  this  date, 
after  you  were  apprised  of  his  position  in  the  invading  army?" 

"  I  did  !  I  forwarded  a  letter  to  him  by  a  Federal  Chaplain 
who  passed  a  day  at  my  house." 

"  Will  Mr.  Lacy  repeat  as  nearly  as  he  can  recollect  what  he 
said  in  that  letter  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  give  a  verbatim  report  of  it.  While  I  recognize 
such  interrogatories  as  an  attempt  to  make  me  criminate  my- 
self," and  furnish  evidence  which  every  tribunal  on  earth  de- 
mands should  be  produced  by  the  prosecution,  I  will  gratify  the 
curiosity  of  the  Court  as  to  the  general  character  of  the  letter. 
I  wrote  to  inform  him  of  the  health  of  my  family,  and  to  assure 
him  of  our  continued  regard." 

"  Undiminished  regard,  perhaps  Mr.  Lacy  intends  to  say ! " 
remarked  an  examiner. 

Papa  took  no  notice  of  the  sneer,  and  the  question  was 
repeated  in  a  less  offensive  form. 

"  Did  you  '  assure'  this  Yankee  officer  that  your  esteem  and 
attachment  for  him  were  unchanged  by  what  you  had  recently 
learned  of  his  association  with  the  enemies  of  your  native 
state?" 

25* 


29-1  SUNNYBANK. 

"  I  said  nothing  whatever  of  public  questions.  I  did  tell 
him  that  our  love  and  respect  for  him  were  unchanged  and  un- 
alterable." 

I  could  have  knelt  and  kissed  his  feet  as  he  said  this.  It 
was  the  heroism  of  constancy  to  his  lost  friend,  for  there 
arose,  from  a  distant  corner  of  the  room,  a  low  but  distinct 
hiss  that  grew  into  a  murmur,  then  a  roar  of  disapprobation, 
while  furious  visages  lovvered  on  the  prisoner  from  all  sides, 
even  after  the  Court  had  restored  silence.  I  do  not  think  the 
compJlrison  was  blasphemous,  when  I  thought  involuntarily  of 
another  judgment  hall,  and  the  clamorous  cry,  "What  further 
need  have  we  of  witnesses  ?  " 

The  cruel  farce  treated  moreover  of  Papa's  kindness  to  the 
wounded  Federal  private,  to  which  charge  he  made  answer  that 
he  would  have  showed  the  same  to  his  deadliest  enemy,  had  he 
been  left  mortally  injured  at  his  door.  I  was  relieved  that  no 
questions  were  asked  respecting  Mr.  Merrill.  Since  Papa's 
arrest,  I  had  pondered  often  and  uneasily  upon  Mammy's  fancy 
that  he  had  been  seen,  just  previous  to  his  departure,  by  a 
"  white  face  ;"  had  resolved  to  offer  my  evidence  to  exculpate 
my  parents  from  all  complicity  in  my  work  of  nursing  and  con- 
cealing him,  and  forwarding  his  journey.  If  need  there  should 
be,  I  was  ready  to  suffer  with  my  father  for  my  fidelity  to  the 
principles  that  lay  so  near  our  hearts  —  which  we  dared  name 
only  in  our  prayers.  There  were  moments  during  the  trial, 
when,  seeing  him  stand  there  in  the  majesty  of  innocence, 
baited  by  a  set  of  angry  foes  bent  on  his  destruction,  blind  to 
the  clear  reason  of  his  replies,  forgetful  of  the  stainless  record 
of  a  life  devoted  to  the  good  of  his  fellow-creatures,  —  many 
of  his  beneficiaries  being  among  them,  who  now  hooted  at  him 
in  the  open  light  of  day,  —  there  were  seasons  when  all  this 
drove  me  to  the  verge  of  useless  self-sacrifice  ;  when,  but  for 
the  remembrance  of  his  injunctions  to  discretion,  and  the 
thouorht  of  Mamma's  loneliness  should  I  be  included  in  his 
condemnation,  I  would  have  pressed  through  the  raging  crowd, 
and  claimed  a  place  at  his  side.     For,  I  argued,  but  for  me, 


SUNNYBANK.  295 

but  for  the  love  and  pity  he  felt  for  Harry  and  myself  in  our 
separation,  he  would  never  have  written  the  two  letters,  the 
knowledge  of  which,  it  was  apparent,  had  gone  further  toward 
settling  the  minds  of  his  judges  against  him,  than  the  one  which 
was  the  primal  cause  of  his  arrest.  Strange  to  say,  they  asked 
few  questions  relative  to  his  correspondence  with  Uncle  Char- 
ley. Having  heard  him  say  that  he  had  forwarded  but  one  let- 
ter to  him,  and  that  through  Major  Kingston's  hands,  to  be  sent 
by  flag  of  truce,  they  wandered  off  to  other  branches  of  the 
subject.  I  have  called  it  a  trial,  but  it  was  a  formal  perse- 
cution, and  acquittal  was  a  conclusion  unthought  of  in  their 
iniquitous  schemes.  They  talked  and  wrangled  among  them- 
selves, and  attempted  to  browbeat  the  prisoner  'through  all  the 
long,  sultry  day  ;  and  when  night  fell,  the  accused  was  remand- 
ed to  jail  to  await  the  action  of  the  morrow,  and  we  went 
home. 

All  the  ten  miles  back  to  Sunnybank.  The  proprietors  of 
the  two  hotels  at  the  Court  House  answered  curtly  to  Mamma's 
application  for  rooms  for  the  night,  and  so  long  as  the  trial 
should  be  in  progress,  that  we  could  not  be  accommodated  — 
their  houses  were  full.  After  this  rebuff,  we  would  not  ask  for 
lodgings  in  a  private  family ;  and  although  we  had  many 
acquaintances  in  the  neighborhood,  not  one  invited  us  to  his  or 
her  home.  Carrie  had  been  confided  to  Mammy's  care  when 
we  left  Sunnybank,  and  I  was  thankful  that  she  formed  an 
attraction  to  Mamma's  sad  thoughts,  as  we  rolled  along  the 
fast  darkening  highway,  silent  and  dispirited.  In  the  morning, 
we  had  dared  hope  for  and  talk  of  having  Papa  with'  us  on  our 
return  journey.  Now  we  had  no  words  ready,  nor  was  there 
need  of  expressing  what  each  knew  the  other  was  feeling.  We 
were  unattended,  save  by  Uncle  Will,  who  rode  Papa's  horse 
behind  the  carriage,  and  his  son  James,  our  trusty  driver. 

"  Pve  never  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  Mistis !  "  was  all 
Uncle  Will  said,  as  he  tenderly  helped  Mamma  into  the  car- 
riage. 

I  saw  the  light  come  into  her  eyes,  followed  by  a  mist  that 


29 G  SUXNYBAKK. 

was  not  unmingled  sorrow,  as  she  thanked  him.  The  text  bore 
np  my  own  heart  mightily,  whenever  I  espied  his  white  head 
at  either  window  of  the  carriage.  Illiterate  slave  as  he  may  be 
regarded,  we  had,  in  this  trying  hour  of  our  misfortunes,  no 
truer  friend  or  wiser  comforter. 

"We  were  within  five  miles  of  home,  when,  at  a  fork  of  the 
road,  a  challenge  rang  out  sharply  upon  the  night. 

"  Who  goes  there?  " 

Mamma  uttered  an  exclamation  of  alarm  or  surprise,  but 
Uncle  Will  was  ready  with  a  soothing  sentence. 

"It's  only  a  scouting  party,  Ma'am  !  "  he  said  hastily,  rid- 
ing forward  to  answer  for  his  charges. 

We  could  hear  the  intonation  of  question  and  answer,  then 
of  amazed  comment,  and  a  horseman  rode  up  to  my  window. 

"  Mrs.  Lacy  !  Miss  Elinor  !  Can  it  be  possible  that  you  are 
travelling  without  a  protector,  at  this  hour  and  over  this 
road?" 

"  We  are  not  unprotected,  Major  Kingston  !  "  was  Mamma's 
steady  rejoinder. 

He  thought  she  referred  to  her  faithful  servants.  I  under- 
stood the  deeper  meaning  that  commented  upon  Uncle  Will's 
text.  I,  less  courageous  or  less  trustful  in  the  Divine  care,  was 
unfeignedly  rejoiced  that  we  had  met  Rolf.  He  explained  that 
he  had  been  sent  up  from  Richmond  as  part  of  an  escort  to  an- 

officer,  who  bore  important  despatches  to  General  B .     He' 

had  embraced  the  opportunity  of  visiting  his  native  county  with 
the  greater  alacrity,  because  the  news  of  Papa's  arrest  had  just 
reached  him.  After  a  few  words  spoken  aside  with  the  rest  of 
the  party,  of  Avhom  there  seemed  to  be  ten  or  twelve,  he  an- 
nounced his  intention  of  accompanying  us  home.  Mamma 
expostulated  ;  but  he  pressed  his  plea  for  permission  to  do  us 
this  "  trifling  service  "  with  such  earnestness  that  she  yielded. 
This  little  proof  of  kindly  interest  in  us  and  our  fate  was  grate- 
ful as  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  thirsting  tongue,  after  the  series 
of  slights  and  repulses  we  had  experienced  throughout  the  day. 
My  heart  softened  toward   him  w^ho  had  tendered  the  favor, 


SUNNYBANK.  297 

and  toward  the  liuman  family  I  had  just  been  describing 
inwardly  as  base,  thankless,  and  bloodthirsty,  while  I  heard 
Mamma  draw  a  sobbing  sigh,  as  she  leaned  back  in  her  seat, 
and  the  carriage  moved  on. 

We  were  not  expected  at  home,  and  the  great  pile  of  build- 
ings looked  gloomy  and  desolate.  If  I  was  unutterably  sad  in 
returning  thus,  what  memories  and  forebodings  must  have 
oppressed  Mamma,  as  she  entered  the  empty  hall  where  the 
echoes  sounded  so  strangely  distinct  that  we  unconsciously  low- 
ered our  voices  and  trod  softly  ! 

She  went  immediately  to  Carrie,  who  had  been  put  to  sleep 
in  my  chamber  ;  and  the  only  tear  that  had  escaped  her  eyelids 
all  day,  fell  upon  the  pillow  as  she  kissed  the  velvet  cheek  of 
the  little  sleeper.  She  was  very  weary  and  faint,  and  let  me 
undress  her  ;  then  lay  down  upon  my  bed. 

"  By  and  by  I  must  go  to  my  room,  love  !  "  she  said,  trying 
to  smile.  "  Papa  would  not  like  to  think  of  it  as  vacant  to- 
night.    I  must  keep  it  ready  for  him." 

Mammy  soon  had  tea  and  toast  ready  for  her  mistress,  and 
more  to  please  us  than  for  her  own  refreshment,  she  partook 
of  these.  She  clasped  Carrie's  dimpled  hands  in  hers,  and  laid 
her  head  on  the  pillow,  with  the  docility  of  a  tired  child. 

"  My  daughters !  "  she  said  fondly,  "  my  precious  com- 
forters !  " 

Darling  Mamma  !  may  I  never  forfeit  my  right  to  the  title  ! 

Rolf,  Agatha,  and  I  supped  together.  I  had  almost  over- 
looked the  latter  during  our  ride,  and  quite  forgotten  her  after  our 
arrival ;  negligence  for  which  my  conscience  smote  me  when.  I 
found  that  she  had  quietly  slipped  into  the  mistress'  place  below 
stairs,  given  orders  for  the  reception  of  our  guest  and  the 
evening  meal,  and  taken  from  me  the  unpleasant  business  of 
recounting  the  events  of  the  trial  to  Rolf.  He  was  acquainted 
with  every  incident  when  w^e  talked  it  all  over  after  supper. 
His  honest  indignation  flamed  most  hotly  against  his  aunt,  Miss 
Stratton,  who,  he  roundly  affirmed,  had  made  more  mischief  in 
her  life  than  all  the  other  women  in  the  state  put  together. 


298  SUNNYBANK. 

"  She  has  been  very  careful  not  to  take  me  into  her  confi- 
dence in  this  nefarious  plot !  "  he  said,  warmly.  "  I  believe 
she  has  gone  crazy  along  with  the  majority  of  the  southern 
people  —  the  rulers  included.  We  are  living  in  a  reign  of  ter- 
ror. One  expects  tremblingly,  every  day,  to  hear  of  the  Con- 
ciergerie  and  the  guillotine !  And  this  is  a  Christian  land ! 
These  are  brothers  who  prey  upon  each  other's  characters,  and 
lie  in  wait  for  the  lives  of  innocent  men !  " 

"  The  Conciergerie  and  the  guillotine  !  "  "  The  lives  of  inno- 
cent men  !  "  "Words  of  dread  that  would  not  let  me  rest,  that 
summer  midnight  —  which  come  to  me  now  with  deadlier 
force  than  when  they  were  uttered.  Rolf  would  have  been 
pained  beyond  measure  had  he  guessed  how  his  hasty  speech 
troubled  me.  In  assiduity,  yet  delicacy  of  attention,  in  lively 
sympathy  for  our  sorrow  and  ardent  desire  to  mitigate  it  by 
cheering  words  and  thoughtful  advice  as  to  the  expediency  of 
retaining  learned  counsel  in  Papa's  behalf,  and  bringing  what- 
ever of  political  influence  he  or  we  could  command  to  bear 
upon  the  arbiters  of  Papa's  fate,  he  was  all  that  friend  or  son 
could  be.  I  should  have  laid  me  down  to  rest  in  comparative 
peace  of  mind  but  for  the  imprudent  ejaculation,  which  was 
probably  forgotten  by  him  so  soon  as  it  was  spoken. 

We  hurried  breakfast  next  morning,  that  we  might  be  early 
at  the  Court  Room.  The  sun  was  still  near  the  eastern  hori- 
zon when  we  drove  out  of  the  plantation  gate.  Uncle  Will  fol- 
lowed us,  as  upon  the  preceding  day.  But  Rolf  rode  at  the 
side  of  the  carriage,  and  beguiled  the  wearisome  way  with 
quiet,  pleasant  chat  —  not  oppressive  hilarity,  as  many  whose 
will  was  as  good,  but  whose  tact  was  less  fine,  would  have  done. 
Three  miles  from  home,  just  opposite  the  yawning  door  of  our 
little  church,  a  courier  met  us,  his  horse  covered  with  dust  and 
foam.  He  drew  rein  and  saluted  Rolf,  who  looked  startled  at 
the  encounter. 

"  Well,  Willets  !  what  is  it?  "  he  said  quickly. 

The  man  gave  him  a  note,  which  he  perused  with  his  back  to 
us.     His  eyes  glittered,  but  his  bronzed  cheek  was  paler  by 


SUNNYBANK.  299 

many  shades  than  it  had  been  a  minute  before,  when  he  pre- 
sented himself  at  Mamma's  window. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Lacy,  there  is  nothing  in  this  change  of 
arrangements  to  make  you  uneasy.  On  the  contrary,  I  regard 
as  a  favorable  omen  —  a  security  for  a  fair  trial  and  ultimate 
acquittal  —  the  fact  that  orders  have  been  issued  from  the  war 
department  that  Mr.  Lacy  shall  be  brought  to  Richmond  for 
examination." 

"  When?  "  asked  Mamma,  huskily. 

Eolfs  averted  eyes  told  me  before  his  unwilling  lips  formed 
the  answer. 

"  The  escort  having  him  in  charge  started  this  morning  at 
sunrise !  " 

There  was  a  dead  pause.  I  can  see  the  whole  picture  now  — 
the  dismantled  church,  with  its  shapely  spire,  lifted  in  mute 
appeal  to  Heaven ;  the  brier-grown  fences  ;  the  creek  running 
swiftly  between  the  fringe-trees  and  alders  on  the  banks ;  the 
two  soldiers  sitting  motionless  upon  their  horses ;  Uncle  Will 
leaning  anxiously  over  the  arched  neck  of  Papa's  splendid  bay 
—  poor  Priam  !  and  the  hard,  blue  smiling  sky,  —  all  this  niy 
senses  electrotyped  before  Mamma  bowed  her  head  upon  her 
hands  with  a  low  cry  that  went  through  my  heart  like  a  knife. 

She  raised  her  face  abruptly.  "  Were  these  the  important 
orders  you  brought  last  night  to  the  commandant  at  Clay 
HaU?"  she  demanded. 

Rolf  positively  shrank  back  at  her  tone  and  air. 

"  Heaven  is  my  witness.  Madam,  that  I  was  ignorant  of  then* 
purport !  else  I  would  have  spared  you  this  shock  !  " 

"  I  hope  you  are  speaking  the  truth  !  "  rejoined  she,  bitterly. 
"  It  is  a  fearful  crime  to  tear  an  innocent  man  from  his  home, 
to  rob  a  wife  of  her  husband,  and  defenceless  daughters  of  the 
one  protector  God  has  spared  to  them.  Heaven  knows  whether 
you  have  had  anything  to  do  with  this  outrage.  I  do  not. 
James!  drive  back  — "  she  was  about  to  say  "home" — but 
the  dear  word  would  not  come,  and  she  added  with  an  effort, 
to  Sunnybank !  " 


300  SUNNYBANK. 

Even  I  saw  no  more  of  her  until  late  in  the  day  after  I  part- 
ed with  her  at  her  chamber  door.  She  stopped  there,  and  put 
her  hand  confusedly  to  her  head.. 

"  I  believe  I  was  harsh  —  perhaps  unjust  to  Major  Kings- 
ton. If  I  was,  say  to  him  that  I  regret  my  heat,  and  ask  him 
to  foro-et  it.  I  have  no  room  in  my  soul  for  human  enmities. 
I  must  inquire  why  the  Lord  has  this  controversy  with  me  ; 
why  these  two  things  have  happened  to  me  in  one  day  —  wid- 
owhood and  the  loss  of  children  ! 

At  sunset,  as  I  sat  sadly  in  the  porch  with  Carrie,  who  had 
cried  herself  nearly  sick  for  Papa,  in  my  arms,  I  heard  a  firm, 
light  footstep  upon  the  stairs,  and  Mamma  came  out  to  us. 

"  My  poor  children  !  did  you  think  I  had  deserted  you  en- 
tirely?" she  said  sweetly,  stooping  to  kiss  us  both.  "  I  will 
not  be  so  selfish  again." 

I  repeated  to  myself,  "  The  clear  shining  after  rain,"  as  I 
saw  her  countenance,  so  serene  and  elevated  was  her  expres- 
sion. 

"  Brownie,"  she  continued,  "  we  will  go  to  town  to-morrow. 
Papa  will  expect  us,  and  if  we  can  help  him  anywhere,  it  must 
be  there." 

To  the  city  we  came,  accordingly.  We  went  straight  from 
the  depot  to  a  hotel.  Mamma  would  not  compromise  any  of 
her  old  acquaintances  by  quartering  herself  upon  them.  But 
the  next  day  brought  a  band  of  friends  —  not  many,  but  true  as 
steel  —  to  contest  the  wisdom  of  this  independent  proceeding. 
Dr.  Arthur  Dana,  the  husband  of  the  oldest  and  dearest  inti- 
mate of  IMamma's  girlhood,  is  surgeon  in  a  regiment  stationed 
very  near  town,  and  he  accompanied  Aunt  Dana,  his  sister-in- 
law,  to  see  us.  Carleton  Dana,  her  son,  also  in  the  Confed- 
erate army,  and,  if  last,  assuredly  not  least.  Aunt  Ellen,  made 
up  the  number.  Mamma  Avas  greatly  moved  by  their  affec- 
tionate entreaties,  and  after  mature  deliberation,  she  accepted 
Aunt  Dana's  offer  of  a  home  in  her  house  while  we  should 
remain  in  the  city.     Her  kindness  is  unremitting. 

"  You  endangered  yourselves  by  keeping  Charley's    secret, 


SUNNYBANK.  301 

and  I  have  profited  by  your  discretion,"  she  says.     "  While  I 
have  a  roof  above  me,  it  is  as  much  yours  as  mine." 

Her  goodness  is  consoling,  as  are  Dr.  Dana's  brotherly  offices, 
and  Aunt  Ellen's  warm  advocacy  of  Papa's  interests,  and  tender 
sympathy  with  ourselves  —  and  we  need  all  this  and  more.  It  is 
not  that  those  who  were  once  eager  to  claim  our  notice  now  pass 
us  by  with  the  chilliest  of  slight  recognitions,  or  decline  seeing 
us  at  all ;  that  no  one  besides  the  faithful  four  above-named  and 
Rolf  Kingston  has  called  to  see  us,  or  endeavored  to  gain  ad- 
mittance to  Papa.  These  are  but  the  scratches  of  tiny  thorns, 
in  comparison  with  this  woful  waiting  from  day  to  day,  and 
week  to  week,  for  the  deferred  action  of  the  proper  tribunal  in 
the  case  of  our  beloved  prisoner ;  the  knowledge  that  he  is  lan- 
guishing in  an  overheated,  foetid  prison,  crowded  almost  to  suf- 
focation ;  denied  the  privilege  of  communication  w^ith  us,  except 
at  infrequent  intervals  and  in  the  presence  of  a  guard. 

Mamma  has  written  to  officials  whom  she  knew  in  her  hap- 
pier days,  and  who  are  said  to  be  potent  in  the  councils  of  the 
Confederacy.  Dr.  Dana  and  Aunt  Ellen  have  done  the  same, 
besides  besieging  these  dignitaries  with  personal  applications, 
while  Rolf  has  devoted  himself  to  this  work  of  mercy  and  jus- 
tice with  zeal  that  has  gained  for  him  a  firm  foothold  in  all 
our  hearts.  Still,  the  trial  is  postponed  upon  one  pretext  and 
another,  oftenest  upon  no  pretext  at  all. 

"  It  is  inexplicable  to  me,"  said  Rolf  to-day,  "  how  one  so  be- 
nevolent, respected,  and  beloved  as  was  your  father,  could  have 
made  so  malicious  and  dangerous  an  enemy  as  the  writer  of 
that  letter.  That  he  ever  wrote,  or  even  saw,  it  up  to  the  mo- 
ment it  was  produced  in  Court,  nobody  who  knows  him  can 
believe  —  yet  the  trap  was  cunningly  laid.  Have  you  any  sus- 
pision  as  to  the  author  ?  " 

"  None  !  "  I  replied.  "  I  am  glad  that  I  have  not.  I  would 
not  suspect  who  it  really  is  for  the  world,  unless  through  my 
knowing  it  I  could  liberate  my  father." 

He  looked  surprised  at  my  energy. 

"  I  do  not  quite  comprehend  !  " 
26 


302  SUNNYBANK. 

I  answered  frankly,  "  Because  it  would  be  wicked  to  hate 
and  despise  any  human  being  as  I  should  do  the  person  who 
devised  this  plot.     It  was  the  work  of  a  demon,  not  a  man  !  " 

Agatha,  who  was  sitting  by,  laughed  —  a  low,  musical  ripple, 
that  tingled  queerly  through  my  nerves. 

"  Why,  Brownie  !  you  have  frightened  Major  Kingston  more 
than  a  brigade  of  the  enemy  could  do  by  your  explosion  of 
righteous  wrath  !  '* 

Rolf  tried  to  jest,  but  he  did  seem  shocked  at  my  vehemence. 
Even  he  cannot  know  how  much  I  have  to  bear  —  how  difficult 
is  the  attempt  to  keep  alive  hope  in  my  own  breast,  and  help 
another  to  see  encouraging  signs  in  the  disheartening  disap- 
pointments that  beset  our  every  step.  Yet  he  is  a  loyal  friend 
—  brave  as  loyal.  May  his  need  of  such  a  one  never  be  sore 
as  is  ours ! 


SUNNYBANK.  303 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

AGATHA. 

I  CAN  image  Rip  Van  Winkle's  sensations  with  a  vividness  I 
should  once  have  thought  it  impossible  for  any  one  to  do  unless 
he  were  a  rural  sexagenarian. 

I  was  in  Richmond  two  years  and  six  months  ago,  and  to-day, 
I  do  not  know  the  place  save  by  certain  natural  features  and  some 
of  the  most  aristocratic,  and  therefore  least  alterable  streets. 
The  city  teems  with  population.  It  used  to  be  a  lively,  well-to- 
do,  complacent  town.  People  were  well  dressed,  and  looked 
happy,  and  took  their  own  time  for  doing  all  things,  and  were 
profoundly  earnest  about  nothing  unless  it  were  in  the  persua- 
sion that  a  born  Virginian  was  but  one  remove  from  the  nobil- 
ity, and  that  to  live  upon  one  of  the  seven  hills  of  Virginia's 
capital  was  equivalent  to  dwelling  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
Paradise.  But  times  have  changed,  and  Richmond  with  them. 
The  former  inhabitants  have  vanished  like  scared  birds  at  the 
approach  of  the  hunter,  and  a  multitude  of  aliens,  rivalling  a 
flight  of  locusts  in  numbers  and  rapacity,  now  swarm  the  thor- 
oughfares in  their  stead.  It  was  the  wont  of  the  old  families 
(and  what  Virginia  family  is  new?)  to  keep  open  house  the 
year  around.  They  enjoyed  housekeeping  principally  because 
their  friends  could  visit  them,  their  tables  and  spare  chambers 
be  filled  continually  with  a  changing  host  of  relatives,  and 
acquaintances,  and  mere  strangers,  who  came  introduced  by  ac- 
quaintances, and  were  therefore  entitled  to  the  best  welcome  the 
establishment  afforded.  It  was  a  disgrace,  in  their  code,  to  suf- 
fer a  friend  to  pass  a  night  at  a  hotel  if  there  were  room  in  the 
family  mansion  for  one  more  ;  and  to  make  this  space,  mine  host 


304  SUNNYBANK. 

would  gladly  vacate  bis  own  chamber  and  sleep  upon  the  par- 
lor sofa. 

Now,  these  roomy  mansions  are  indeed  crowded,  but  it  is 
with  paid  lodgers.  Mr.  F.  F.  V.  finds  that  ready  money  comes 
hardly  nowadays.  His  credit  was  boundless  of  yore  —  but  a 
race  of  hucksters  and  shopkeepers  has  arisen  who  know  not 
F.  F.  V.  His  credit  doesn't  go  at  all,  and  if  he  sorapes  together 
a  vast  pile  of  bank-bills,  they  go  a  very  little  way. 

Flour  five  hundred  dollars  a  barrel ;  butter,  forty  and  fifty 
per  pound  ;  coffee,  sixty,  seventy,  eighty  dollars  ;  tea,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  ;  mint-juleps  at  the  bar  of  the  Spottswood 
and  Exchange  hotels,  ten  dollars  apiece  ;  and  "  gentlemen  are 
requested  not  to  eat  the  ice  left  in  the  bottom  of  the  glass." 
F.  F.  V.  tells  his  neighbor,  with  a  ghastly  grin,  that  he  takes  his 
money  to  the  butcher's  in  a  market-basket,  and  brings  his  steak 
home  in  his  vest-pocket ;  and  his  neighbor,  a  lawyer,  who  was, 
before  the  war,  in  a  growing  practice,  or  a  bank-officer,  whose 
stand  in  society  was  eligible  and  maintenance  more  than  com- 
fortable, cannot  grin  in  reply,  although  he  makes  an  effort  to  do 
so  —  when  he  remembers  that  his  wife  is  toilini?  at  her  needle, 
his  eldest  daughter  an  employee  of  the  Treasury  Department, 
and  his  lesser  children  shoeless  and  hungry.  F.  F.  V.  once 
owned  a  pair  of  magnificent  blooded  horses,  which  v.ere  wont, 
on  fine  days,  to  caracole  before  the  family  coach,  up  and  down 
Franklin  or  Grace  Streets,  or  through  the  winding  avenues  of 
Hollywood  —  there  being  a  fashion,  even  in  cemeteries.  Mrs. 
F.  F.  V.  would  not  give  up  her  horses  ;  and  her  lord,  being  one 
imder  authority,  indulged  her  in  this  obstinate  notion,  although 
it  was  next  to  impossible  to  keep  the  bones  of  the  pampered  fa- 
vorites hidden  by  a  decent  thickness  of  flesh,  on  account  of  the 
difficulty  of  procuring  provender.  On  divers  occasions,  when 
their  anxious  owner  had  waylaid  a  farmer  on  his  way  to  mar- 
ket, and  purchased  his  load  of  hay,  oats,  or  corn  for  a  fabulous 
sum,  tlie  ubiquitous  Government  agent  appeared  at  his  elbow, 
cancelled  the  bargain  with  an  authoritative  word,  tendered  the 
countryman  one  tenth  of  the  sum  agreed  upon  between  him  and 


SUNNYBANK.  305 

the  chagrmed  citizen,  and  ordered  the  forage  off  to  the  Govern- 
ment barracks.  Against  such  disregard  of  private  claims  there 
is  no  redress.  Neither  has  Mr.  F.  F.  V.  been  able  to  obtain 
anv  for  the  loss  of  his  blooded  span,  which,  just  after  Stoneman's 
dash  upon  the  suburbs,  was  taken  from  his  stables — pro  bono 
'puUico  —  without  the  formula  "  by  your  leave,"  branded  "  C.  S. 
A.,"  and  sent,  ostensibly,  in  pursuit  of  the  fleet  Yankee. 

The  once  proud  Old  Dominion  made  a  stupendous  blunder 
when  she  elected  to  leave  the  shelter  of  the  Eagle's  wing,  and 
consort  with  the  birds  of  all  feathers  who  are  pecking  her  to 
death.  ^  She  acted  conscientiously,  —  of  course,  —  and  as  she 
imagined,  wisely,  in  steering  clear  of  Scylla,  but  she  is  being 
abominably  maltreated  by  Charybdis. 

"  We  have  come  to  fight  Jbr  you  !  Bow  down  to  us  as  your 
saviors  and  masters,"  say  the  arrogant  far-Southerners.  "  You 
kept  out  of  our  glorious  Confederation  so  long  as  you  could 
hang  back  in  honor,  decency,  or  safety.  We  admitted  you  upon 
sufferance.  Treat  us  well,  or  we  will  withdraw  from  your  de- 
fences, and  you  will  be  swallowed,  at  a  gulp,  by  the  ravenous 
Yank." 

What  is  poor,  cheated,  famishing  Virginia  to  do,  but  bow  her 
hoary,  discrowned  head  in  base  subjection,  and,  clinging  to  the 
gray  skirts  of  her  new  masters,  implore  them  not  to  leave  her 
in  the  lurch?  If  I  believed  in  human  nature  (which  I  never 
did,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection  !)  I  should  be  terribly  puzzled 
by  the  queer  features  of  the  life,  foaming  and  bellowing  on  all 
sides  of  me.  With  Grant  menacing  Petersburg,  and  Sherman 
pushing  his  victorious  legions  westward  and  southward,  and 
Sheridan  everywhere  except  where  the  Confederate  Generals 
want  and  expect  to  find  him,  and  the  Confederacy  going  to 
pieces  generally  (according  to  Yankee  journalists),  like  a  house 
built  of  cards  —  "  going  up  the  spout,"  is  the  choice  phrase 
here  for  such  demolition, —^editors,  capitalists,  speculators, 
quartermasters,  and  Government  ofiicers,  vapor  loudly  as  ever 
of  "breaking  lights  "  and  "  final  success  "  — while  clergymen 
who,  long  ago,  abandoned  the  publication  of  the  Gospel  of 
26* 


306  SUNNYBANK. 

peace  as  an  unprofitable  tale,  bluster,  and  hector,  and  prophesy 
more  blatantly  than  all  the  other  classes  combined.  There  are 
daily  prayer-meetings  for  the  encouragement  of  the  masses,  at 
which  the  principal  means  of  grace  employed  are  assurances 
from  the  clergy  —  their  information  being  received,  it  is  popu- 
larly believed,  by  special  revelation  —  that  the  city  will  never 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  prayers  that  outdo  what 
the  old  preacher  called  "  David's  cussing  psalms,"  in  invectives 
and  anathemas  against  the  universal  Yankee  nation.  All  this 
while,  there  is  in  high  places  —  ay !  and  in  low  ones  —  a 
scramble  for  the  spoils  of  office,  —  shameless  favoritism,  result- 
ing in  the  enrichment  of  tens  ;  more  iniquitous  monopolies,  that, 
profiting  by  the  wants  of  the  people,  effect  the  opulence  of  hun- 
dreds.    The  thousands  may  starve  or  go  naked. 

None  of  these  things  move  me.  I  should  like  to  see  that 
phenomenon  of  human  depravity  that  could ! 

Apropos  de  hottes  !  The  topic  of  conversation  at  the  tea-table 
to-night  chanced  to  be  Admiral  Dahlgren's  denial  of  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  letter  said  to  have  been  found  upon  the  body  of 
Lis  son. 

To  the  latter  —  a  youthful  Colonel  in  the  Yankee  army — was 
intrusted  the  business  of  taking  Richmond  in  March  last.  The 
expedition  failed  —  providentially  —  said  the  Confederates  in 
their  Te  Deums  over  the  deliverance; — through  the  mistake 
or  treachery  of  a  guide,  as  the  Yankee  papers  had  it.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  it  failed,  and  Colonel  Dahlgren  fell  a  victim  to  his 
rashness.  His  remains  were  brought  into  the  city,  and  buried 
with  every  token  of  ignominy,  in  consequence  of  the  appearance 
in"  the  public  prints,  of  a  paper,  taken,  as  was  stated,  from  his 
pocket.  This  was  an  address  to  his  troops,  urging  them  to  the 
liberation  of  the  Yankee  prisoners ;  the  destruction  of  the 
bridges  over  the  river ;  and  the  pillage  of  the  doomed  capital. 
The  father  of  the  deceased  leader  in  this  laudable  enterprise, 
Las,  it  appears,  obtained  a  photograph  of  the  original,  and 
boldly  declares  the  notorious  order  to  be  a  slanderous  forgery. 

'^  Nobody  pretends  to    believe  this  trumped-up  tale ! "  said 


SUNNYBANK.  307 

Miss  Morris,  scornfully,  this  evening.  "  It  bears  falsehood 
iipon  its  face.  If  Dahlgren  did  not  write  the  paper,  who  did  ? 
No  Yankee  soldier  would  have  dared  trifle  with  his  command- 
ant's name,  and  no  Confederate  is  base  enough  to  commit  such 
a  fraud  when  he  could  gain  nothing  by  it.  Men  don't  forge 
signatures  unless  tempted  to  it  by  large  promises  of  immunity 
from  deserved  punishment,  or  by  the  hope  of  reward." 

Most  of  the  company  acquiesced  in  this  judgment  by  silence 
or  expressed  affirmation. 

"  Yet,"  said  Elinor,  timidly,  from  her  end  of  the  table,  "  I 
had  rather  believe  it  to  be  a  senseless,  or  mercenary  forgery, 
than  that  it  was  the  deliberate  design  of  the  Federal  troops  to 
cut  oflT  the  retreat  of  the  defenceless  inhabitants  of  the  city  and 
then  sack  it.  This  would  have  been  a  piece  of  monstrous  bar- 
barity, unworthy  of  a  brave  soldiery  and  a  great  Government. 
If  Colonel  Dahlgren  wrote  the  paper  of  instructions,  he  was 
empowered  by  his  Government  to  do  it.  Better  accuse  one  un- 
known man  of  perpetrating  the  libel  upon  humanity  than  cast 
the  odium  upon  a  whole  Nation  !  " 

"  There  is  nothing  incredible  in  the  supposition  that  his  mas- 
ters would  have  borne  him  out  to  the  utmost  extent  of  his  mis- 
deeds !  "  said  Carleton  Dana,  fierily.  "  They  stop  short  of 
nothing  that  is  diabolical.  There  isn't  a  man,  woman,  or  child, 
born  or  br^d  south  of  the  Potomac,  who  would  have  soiled  his 
or  her  fingers  with  so  foul  a  bit  of  writing  as  is  that  paper !  " 

"I  am  not  sure  of  that.  Other  documents  have  been  forged 
with  the  direct  design  of  tarnishing  the  fame  of  innocent  men  — 
and  have  succeeded  !  "  said  Elinor,  with  spirit. 

"  I  understand  !  "  Carleton  tempered  his  tone.  "  But  you 
cannot  prove  that  the  one  you  refer  to  was  not  penned  by  some 
vicious,  low-bred  Yankee." 

"  It  was  not  the  work  of  an  uneducated  person,  but  of  one 
familiar  with  the  use  of  the  pen  and  the  language  of  gentle- 
men." 

"  I  would  stake  my  life  upon  the  assertion  that  it  never  came 
from  under  the  hand  of  a  southern  soldier !  "  cried  the  youth, 


308  SUNNYBANK. 

bristling  all  over,  to  the  tags  of  the  Lieutenant's  epaulets  he 
has  lately  mounted. 

"  I  have  not  insinuated  that  it  did.  It  is  certain  that  no 
brave  gentleman  wrote  it,  let  him  be  soldier  or  civilian,"  was 
Elinor's  reply. 

My  vis-a-vis,  Major  Kingston,  had  preserved  a  judicious 
silence  while  this  discussion  was  pending,  and  now  hurried  to 
the  rescue  of  both  parties  with  a  story  he  had  gathered  from  a 
returned  prisoner,  of  the  humane  treatment  he  had  received  in 
a  Yankee  hospital.  It  is  my  private  belief  that  he  manufac- 
tured it  from  Alpha  to  Omega,  —  but  I  joined  in  the  remarks 
it  occasioned,  pleased,  with  him,  to  slip  away  from  a  disagree- 
able topic.  It  was  lucky  that  I  am  buoyed  above  the  risk  of 
being  dragged  down  by  degrading  suspicions ;  sustained,  by 
conscious  rectitude,  in  an  atmosphere  of  beautiful  equanimity 
of  feature  and  feeling. 

I  was  standing  at  the  library  window,  .just  after  supper, 
watching,  across  the  valley,  the  kindling  of  the  camp  and  hos- 
pital fires  upon  the  hills,  when  Miss  Morris  pushed  herself 
against  my  elbow. 

"It  is  a  beautiful  evening !  "  remarked  I,  suavely,  making 
room  in  the  recess  for  the  figure  wliich  is  less  sylph-like  than  it 
was  thirty  years  back. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  exactly  what  you  had  to  do  with  this  wicked 
business  !  "  she  said,  snappishly. 

"  Madam  !  "     I  opened  mouth  and  eyes  in  stupid  wonder. 

"  I  mean  this  letter  and  the  trial  of  your  best  friend !  "  she 
pursued.     "  I  distrust  you  grievously,  Agatha  Lamar  !  " 

"  I  do  not  feign  to  misunderstand  you,  Miss  Morris !  "  I 
drew  myself  up  haughtily.  "  Permit  me  to  remind  you  of  your 
sage  and  charitable  observations  :  '  Men  '  —  and  by  implica- 
tion women  —  '  don't  forge  signatures  unless  they  are  tempted 
to  it  by  large  promises.'  To  make  your  charge  plausible,  you 
must  discover  a  motive  for  the  deed." 

"  It  is  killing  Ida  !  "  she  said,  passionately.  "  And  her  hus- 
band is  guiltless  of  this  deed  as  I  am.     He  may  be  at  heart  a 


SUNNYBANK.  309 

Unionist,  still.  I  suppose  lie  is  —  and  that  is  a  pity  ;  but  that 
he  ever  wrote  that  atrocious  letter,  or  did  anything  else  meau 
and  clandestine,  is  preposterous  !  I  tell  you  no  truer  gentleman 
—  no  better  Christian  —  ever  breathed  than  he  whom  it  is  the 
fashion  to  revile  as  a  traitor !  I  a;et  so  mad  with  hearing:  the 
gabble  about  it  —  the  lying  rumors  and  scandalous  hints  flying 
ai'ound  town  —  that  I  am  ready  to  turn  Union-lover  myself  out 
of  spite !  " 

"  A  desperate  remedy  I  "  I  said,  coolly  contemptuous. 

I  did  not  care  to  quarrel  \vith  her,  but  neither  was  I  covetous 
of  the  honor  of  a  confidential  conversation.  She  drummed  hard 
upon  the  window-sill  —  a  girlish  trick  it  is  time  she  left  oflf. 

"  TYho  wi*ote  that  letter?"  she  demanded,  wheeling  short 
upon  me. 

For  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  have  sustained  her  piercing 
eye.  But  I  let  my  lids  droop  gradually  in  answering  slowly 
and  audibly,  — 

"  I  know  no  more  about  it  than  you  do,  and  I  do  not  insult 
you  by  the  suspicion  that  you  are  an  accomplice  in  the  atfair." 

Then  I  turned  away,  more  disdainfully  than  angrily,  and  left 
her  to  her  cogitations. 

"Was  there  any  significance  in  her  attack  other  than  the  old 
story  of  inveterate  dislike,  and  superadded  to  it  the  galling  rec- 
ollection of  the  duel  between  us  on  New  Year's  day?  Mr. 
Lacy  v/as  her  confidant  then.  His  wife  of  course  shortly 
became  a  party  to  the  secret.  This  I  assumed  as  inevitable, 
although  neither  had  ever  approached  me  on  the  subject.  The 
sequitur  to  all  this  gossiping  would  have  been  a  general  flare- 
up  but  for  my  precautionary  measures.  Had  I  not  thrust  for- 
^vard  my  trusty  knight  in  the  nick  of  time,  with  his  demonstra- 
tion of  boundless  devotion  to  his  hunted,  cornered  queen,  she 
must  have  been  swept  from  the  board  ignominiously.  As  it  is, 
I  make  no  doubt  the  expose  is  but  deferred  until  a  convenient 
eeason.  I  am  not  positive  that  I  care  very  much  whether  it 
comes  or  not.  If  other  aflTairs  prosper,  the  edaircissement, 
even  if  it  be  an  esclandre  also,  will  perhaps  be  rather  advanta- 


310  STJNNYBANK. 

geous  than  disastrous  to  my  prospects.  For  the  present,  Lyan 
and  Hayridge  constitute  a  pretty  stout  anchor  to  windward.  I 
was  a  cipher  on  the  ^^Tong  side  of  the  heiress  and  daughter  at 
Sunnybank.  I  might,  by  adroit  manoeuvring,  depreciate  her 
value  in  the  estimation  of  a  few  impartial  observers,  but  I  did 
not  thereby  enhance  my  own.  Here,  I  am  less  than  nought  — 
the  most  unconsidered  of  trifles. 

But  for  Carleton  Dana,  I  might  pass  whole  days  without  a 
civil,  i.  e.,  a  complimentary  notice.  He  is  young  and  gallant, 
and  has  an  eye  for  the  fine  points  of  a  woman  —  consequently 
he  admires  me.  He  has  taken  me  to  see  the  camps  and  fortifi- 
cations, —  down  the  river  to  look  at  the  water  above  the  sunken 
obstructions  that  hinder  navigation  ;  to  Hollywood,  to  sigh  pen- 
sively over  the  interminable  line  of  ridges  that  hold  the  skele- 
tons of  a  great  army  of  southern  braves  ;  to  Gamble's  Hill, 
to  overlook  Belle  Isle  where  the  naughty  Yankee  papers  will 
have  it  that  some  dozens  of  paltry  Yankee  Hessians  were  frozen 
to  death  last  winter  ;  to  the  Capitol  Square,  to  see  a  review  of 
the  Home  Reserve,  —  I  counted  twenty  who  limped,  ten  who 
could  not  walk  without  a  cane,  and  forty  ^vith  very  white  hair ; 
—  and  most  frequently  of  all  other  excursions  —  he  has  escorted 
me  to  Pizzini's.  This  Prince  of  Confectioners  still  w^elcomes 
visitors  to  his  marble  hall  with  beaming  phiz  and  friendly  bow  ; 
still  dispenses  from  some  mysterious  cavern  —  stocked,  people 
say,  by  means  of  Aladdin's  lamp  —  incomparable  creams,  lucent 
jellies,  luscious  fruits  and  bonbons  that  would  make  a  Parisian 
artiste  in  the  sweet  art  tear  his  hair  with  envy.  I  have  a  sin- 
cere and  gro^\*ing  regard  for  M.  Pizzini.  I  have  a  childish 
love  for  confections,  and  he  gratifies  it. 

Nobody  disputes  Carleton's  right  to  ride,  talk,  and  walk  with 
nie  — parce  que  9  Nobody  gives  the  intimacy  a  thought. 
Major  Kingston  and  I  seldom  exchange  a  word,  except  in  gen- 
eral company.  I  severed  our  connection,  formally,  weeks  ago. 
The  understanding  now  is,  that  each  is  to  shift  for  his  and  her- 
self. He  is  doing  this.  His  diplomatic  skill  really  astonishes 
my  weak  mind  when  I  bethink  me  of  what  a  tyro  he  was  when 


SUNNYBANK.  311 

I  assumed  the  charge  of  his  education.  He  has  neither  eyes, 
ears,  nor  thoughts  for  anything  unconnected  with  his  inamorata. 
He  has  offered  himself  as  bail  for  the  temporary  release  of 
Papa-in-law,  and  his  application  been  testily  refused.  He  has 
toadied  this  and  that  great  friend,  and  done  the  state  all  sorts 
of  service  in  order  to  procure  tickets  of  admittance  for  his  jpro- 
tegees  —  mother  and  daughter  —  to  the  cell  of  their  imprisoned 
relative,  and  been  only  partially  successful.  His  ardor  of  desire 
to  serve  them  is  not  dampened  by  these  repulses,  but  he  boasts 
less  of  his  influence  and  exertions.  He  is  more  prone  to  sub- 
side into  dejected  comments  upon  the  hoUowness  of  mortal 
promises,  the  fallacy  of  trust  in  rulers,  and  the  undue,  undis- 
criminating  severity  of  the  retribution  which  the  hampered, 
thwarted — and,  it  is  loudly  whispered,  increasingly  unpopular  — 
administration  is  inclined  to  mete  out  to  real  or  presumed 
political  offenders.  His  remarkably  ill-concealed  solicitude  is 
telling  upon  Mrs.  Lacy's  strength  and  spirits.  She  has  lost 
flesh,  color,  and  appetite — disavow  despondency  as  she  may, 
and  as  she  does ;  spends  much  of  her  time  in  her  room,  and 
only  brightens  into  a  semblance  of  her  former  animation  when 
her  daily  note  from  her  husband  is  brought  in  by  Major  Kings- 
ton. This  gentleman  is  mail-carrier  extraordinary  to  her  Lady- 
ship. It  was  he  who  wrung  from  the  iron-hearted  prison  des- 
pots permission  for  the  captive  to  correspond  with  his  afflicted 
family,  all  missives  to  be  scrutinized  by  some  deputy  Cerberus 
or  other.  He  says  he  had  difficulty  in  obtaining  this  conces- 
sion. This  may  be  —  but  he  evidently  thinks  he  has  purchased 
the  smiles  and  rapturous  thanks  of  the  devoted  daughter  very 
cheaply.  What  a  showy  sham  is  everything  that  looks  well 
and  everybody  who  affects  disinterestedness  on  this  great,  hol- 
low, dirty  globe  we  are  condemned  to  live  upon ! 

"  You  do  not  believe  that  this  arrest  will  culminate  in  any- 
thing more  serious  than  protracted  imprisonment  —  say,  for 
three  or  four  months  ?  "  I  queried,  confidentially,  of  Carleton 
to-ni2;ht. 

The  others  were  clustered  about  a  table  in  the  front  parlor, 


812  SUxNNYBANK. 

looking  over  some  papers  —  a  scheme  of  defence  to  be  put  in 
at  the  trial,  or  something  of  the  kind,  -which  had  come  to  the 
house  in  the  pocket  of  the  gaardian-angel  in  "  hodden  gray  "  — 
to  Avit,  Major  Kingston.  He  was  showman  to  the  concern,  and 
his  voice  fell  continuously  upon  my  ear,  as  I  sat  at  the  back- 
parlor  window,  trying  to  catch  a  mouthful  of  the  river  breeze, 
and  chatted  soft  nothings  with  my  preux  cavalier. 

He  shook  his  fair  curls  with  owl-like  wdsdom. 

"  I  have  my  fears  —  based  principally  upon  the  talk  of  out- 
siders who  pretend  to  be  in  the  confidence  of  the  Government. 
It  is  time  —  these  declare  —  that  treason  should  be  dealt  with 
as  a  crime,  and  a  notable  example,  such  as  the  rigorous  pun- 
ishment of  one  heretofore  high  in  social  esteem  and  once  promi- 
nent in  political  life,  would  do  more  to  awe  other  offenders  and 
restrain  the  growing  turbulence  of  the  disaffected  than  the  exe- 
cution of  a  score  of  obscure  traitors." 

"  Execution  !  "  I  repeated,  horrified.  "  They  do  not  speak 
of  a  penalty  like  that  !  " 

He  shook  his  head  again.  "  Not  speak  of  it  in  so  many 
words,  but  they  cloak  the  idea  very  thinly.  You  see  this  is  a 
serious  business.  The  evidence  is  frightfully  conclusive  of  his 
guilt.  The  Government  can't  afford  to  leave  such  dangerous 
spies  at  large.  I  hope  he  is  innocent,  but" — very  confiden- 
tially, indeed,  for  he  has,  ere  this,  discovered  the  bias  of  my 
political  tenets  —  "the  truth  is,  Miss  Agatha,  a  man  who  is 
false  to  his  country  in  his  heart  is  very  apt  to  betray  her  in 
act.  I  would  as  soon  trust  Beelzebub  as  a  Virginia-born 
Unionist.     The  Yankees  are  twice  as  respectable." 

I  surveyed  the  virtuously  indignant  visage  of  this  incorrupt- 
ible curly-pate  wdth  an  air  of  profound  edification.  Talk  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints  !  A  slow  intellect  like  mine  needs  a  daily 
exposition  of  the  latest  patriot  creed,  outside  of  which  there  is 
no  salvation.     It  is  irresistibly  comic  ! 

How  warm  it  is  !  I  pant,  and  fan,  and  muse  longingly  of  the 
breath  of  mown  hay  and  clover-fields,  and  the  babble  of  falling 
waters,  that  enter  my  windows  at  Sunnybank.     The  streets  are 


SUNNYBANK.  813 

still,  save  for  the  distant  shouts  of  some  belated  and  quarrel- 
some rowdies,  who  prowl  abroad,  like  hyenas,  as  soon  as  night 
falls.  Gas  is  among  the  forbidden  delights  of  the  corrupt  for- 
mer days,  and  respectable  citizens  stay  in-doors  after  dark,  or, 
if  they  stir  out,  carry  a  private  arsenal  of  bowie-knives  and 
pistols.  It  must  be  insufferably  hot  in  the  lower  portions  of 
the  city ;  stifling  in  the  crowded  prisons,  where  languish  men 
with  lungs  made  after  the  same  pattern  with  those  of  their 
accusers,  judges,  and  jailers,  and  hearts  constructed  upon  better 
principles,  according  to  Bible  doctrines  —  not  as  they  are  ex- 
pounded by  the  Richmond  clergy.  I  am  no  Pharisee  !  I  can- 
not say  that  I  am  not  as  other  people  are.  I  act  in  consonance 
with  the  teachings  of  my  religion,  which  are  to  keep  the  bright- 
est possible  lookout  for  my  individual  interests,  regarding  the 
welfare  of  all  others,  of  whatever  name,  degree,  and  profes- 
sion, as  secondary  in  importance.  But  I  shall  sleep  better  to- 
night —  if  the  heat  lets  me  sleep  at  all  —  for  the  reflection  that , 
I  did  not  consign  a  single  one  of  those  suffering  wretches, 
thronging  the  noisome  military  jails,  to  a  hatefi^  confinement, 
and  a  possible  death  of  pain  and  ignommy. 

Morning. 

I  broke  off  my  description  of  last  evening's  proceedings  at 
Carleton's  portentous  summary  of  Mr.  Lacy's  "  situation." 

While  I  still  lounged  in  the  recess  of  the  back-parlor  win- 
dow, —  where  is  a  divan  fashioned  exactly  to  my  liking,  and 
Lieutenant  Dana  pleased  himself,  and  would  have  bored  me 
had  I  troubled  myself  to  listen,  with  stories  of  adventures  in 
the  saddle  and  at  the  cannon's  mouth ;  around  the  camp  fire, 
robbing  Pennsylvania  hen-roosts  and  Maryland  shoe-stores,  — 
martial  exploits  all,  that  justified  the  delighted  smile  with  which 
I  appeared  to  contemplate  the  budding  hero,  —  while  the  group 
about  the  centre-table  in  the  foreground  still  rustled  their 
papers  and  laid  solemn  heads  together  over  them,  —  there 
appeared  in  the  doorway  a  tall,  gentlemanly  personage.  He 
had  a  singularly  prepossessing  countenance,  and  was  attired, 
27 


o 


14  SUNNYBANK. 


it  h  almost  unnecessary  to  remark,  a  la  militaire.  When  a 
man  under  seventy  here  wears  citizen's  clothes,  it  is  the  excep- 
tion to  the  prevailing  fashion.  Even  boys  of  fourteen  dress  in 
gray,  with  curlecues  of  scarlet  braid  upon  their  sleeves  ;  upon 
their  heads,  truncated  cones,  pitched  rakishly  over  the  left  eye  ; 
carry  their  shoulders  very  squarely  and  far  back,  their  elbows 
very  stiffly,  and  their  legs  knock-kneedly,  and  delude  them- 
selves with  the  conceit  that  they  look  more  like  mighty  men  of 
valor  than  galvanized  manikins. 

"  Why !  there  is  Colonel  Copeland !  "  whispered  Carleton, 
rising  iu  a  flutter  of  pleasure.  "  You  know  !  the  hero  of  Muddy 
Bottom  !  "  and  rushed  forward  to  meet  him  with  the  respectful 
elation  suitable  to  the  occasion  of  a  visit  from  a  guest  so  dis- 
tinixuished. 

Rolf  was  before  him.  He,  too,  had  sprung  to  his  feet,  like  a 
Jack-in-the-box,  at  the  appearance  of  the  renowned  ofScer, 
calling  his  name,  as  he  did  so,  in  a  tone  of  deferential  delight. 
Mrs.  Lacy  was  in  the  rear  of  the  party,  who  were  now  all 
standing.  Utr  eyes  sparkled,  and  a  glow  overspread  her  ma- 
tronly cheeks  —  emotion  which  I  perceived  did  not  belong  to 
the  class  of  sensations  engendered  in  the  young  men  by  the 
arrival.  The  Colonel  passed  his  subordinates  with  a  hasty, 
but  affable  salutation,  and  sought  my  Lady.  He  covered  the 
hand  she  resigned  to  the  pressure  of  his  right,  with  his  left,  and 
searched  her  face  with  a  gaze  of  affectionate  penetration. 

"  My  friend  !  "  he  said.  "  My  old,  true  friend  !  how  happy 
I  am  to  see  you  !  It  is  a  pleasure  I  have  not  had  before  in  ten 
3'ears.  And  this  is  '  Brownie  !  '  "  holding  out  a  hand  to  Elinor, 
who  stood  next  her  mother.  "  A  pocket  edition  of  Ida  Ross, 
as  I  first  saw  her !  a  trifle  browner,  perhaps,  and  with  more 
eyes  than  the  law  of  Nature  allowed  her  mother  —  but  very 
like,  nevertheless ! " 

He  paid  his  respects  to  Mrs.  Dana ;  met  Miss  Morris  as  a 
boon  companion  of  his  young  and  wild  days,  and  established 
himself  upon  a  sofa  between  his  early  flame  and  her  "  pocket 
cuiiiou."     I  was  not  invoked  to  quit  my  cave.     My  Lady  luid 


SUNNYBANK.  315 

the  grace,  subsequently,  to  aver  that  she  had  forgotten  my  pres- 
ence in  the  other  room,  and  Carleton  ungallantly  protested  that 
his  memory  liad  been  equally  treacherous. 

What  else  could  I  have  expected?  "  What's  Hecuba  to  him, 
or  he  to  Hecuba  ?  "  AYhat  possible  community  of  interest  can 
there  be  between  the  hero  of  Muddy  Bottom  and  a  charity 
girl? 

Carleton  did  not  return  to  me,  and  I  had  leisure  for  contem- 
plation and  reflection.  Colonel  Copeland  sat  with  his  back  to 
the  folding-doors  connecting  the  rooms,  and  I  could  not  watch 
his  features  so  easily  as  I  did  those  of  his  companions,  who, 
having  the  arms  of  the  sofa  to  lean  against,  squared  themselves 
with  their  backs  to  these,  their  profiles  to  me,  and  full  faces  to 
him,  and  listened  as  for  their  lives  to  all  he  said. 

Mrs.  Dana,  in  obedience,  as  I  shrewdly  surmised,  to  a  signal 
from  the  Colonel,  presently  arose,  and  left  the  room.  From  the 
hall  she  privately  signalled  Carleton  through  the  half-open  door. 
After  a  moment's  absence  he  reappeared,  and  challenged  Rolf 
to  a  walk  down  town,  promising  to  bring  him  back  in  half  an 
hour.  There  were  left,  then,  the  mother,  daughter,  Miss  Mor- 
ris, and  the  famous  Colonel.  There  was  no  light  in  the  rear- 
room,  and  my  dress  did  not  rustle  as  I  crossed  the  floor,  and 
lay  down  upon  another  sofa,  placed  on  my  side  of  the  wall 
dividing  the  parlors.  If  discovered,  I  had  only  to  feign  slum- 
ber. But  I  was  certain  nobody  would  think  of  looking  for  me 
in  the  dark.  Burning-fluid  and  bad  lard-oil  are  indiiferent  sub- 
stitutes for  gas,  and  the  obscurity  accruing  from  the  use  of  these 
is  favorable  for  ambushes.  As  I  had  divined,  the  topic  "intro- 
duced immediately  after  the  winnowing  of  the  company,  just 
described,  was  the  one  ever  uppermost  in  my  Lady's  mind  — 
the  incarceration  of  her  husband.  Colonel  Copeland  is  a  law- 
yer of  repute  in  his  county  and  state,  and  the  object  of  his  visit 
was  to  investigate  this  afiair  for  himself,  not  trusting  to  Madame 
Rumor. 

He  went  into  it  with  professional  coolness  and  acuteness,'and 
Mrs.  Lacy  was  his  informant.     Elinor  and  —  mirabile  dicta  !  — 


316  SUNNYBANK. 

Miss  Morris  sat  by  in  mute  attenton.  My  Lady  has  a  clear 
head  and  a  ready  tongue.  If  he  interrogated  like  a  lawyer,  her 
replies  were  those  of  a  well-drilled  witness,  —  concise,  explicit, 
—  and  so  far  as  outward  show  was  to  be  depended  upon,  dispas- 
sionate. Her  testimony  elicited  a  compliment  from  her  interloc- 
utor when  he  closed  the  examination  bearing  upon  the  leading 
events  of  the  arrest  and  trial. 

"  Candid  to  a  fault,  still,  I  see,  and  upright  to  fastidious- 
ness! "  he  was  pleased  to  remark,  smilingly.  "If  I  had  not 
confidence  in  your  husband's  word,  I  would  believe  in  his  inno- 
cence if  you  asserted  it.  Your  conscience  would  not  allow  you 
to  screen  even  him  from  merited  punishment.  Our  cause  has 
been  the  loser  in  not  having  you  two  to  support  it.  Now  that  I 
have  had  all  the  available  evidence  for  and  against  him,  do  you 
object  to  confiding  to  me  any  circumstances  that  might  have  in- 
fluenced the  decision  of  the  Court,  either  way,  had  they  been 
known?" 

Mrs.  Lacy  hesitated,  in  thought  or  uncertainty. 

"You  are  afraid  to  trust  a  rebel?  "  asked  the  Colonel,  play- 
fully—  yet  in  gentle  reproach. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  to  trust  Richard  Copeland  !  "  she  rejoined. 
"  I  was  trying  to  sift  what  might  be  useful  to  us  from  that  which 
may  be  irrelevant." 

With  this  preamble  she  began  the  story  of  Elinor's  conceal- 
ment of  the  Yankee  prisoner,  asserting  primarily,  that  her  hus- 
band was  ignorant  of  the  occurrence  until  after  the  fellow  had 
left  Sunnybank  under  the  auspices  of  her  favorite  servant,  and 
enlarging  upon  the  frightful  appearance  outside  old  Rachel's 
window,  of  what  the  sable  hag  described  as  "  a  white  face  with 
great  big  eyes,"  on  the  night  of  the  flight. 

"  And  this,  you  say,  was  not  adverted  to  at  the  trial  —  was 
known  to  no  one  excepting  yourself.  Miss  Elinor,  Mr.  Lacy, 
and  the  two  servants  ?  " 

"  I  am  positive  that  the  presence  of  the  sergeant  upon  the 
preijiises  was  never  suspected  by  another  person,  unless  Rachel 
were  right  in  her  fancy." 


SUNNYBANK.  31T 

"  In  which  event  it  would  seem  inevitable  that  the  matter 
would  have  been  reported  at  the  examination,"  he  responded, 
stroking  his  mustache  thoughtfully. 

"  You  mentioned  just  now  another  inmate  of  your  house- 
hold —  Miss  Lamar.     "What  are  her  political  principles  ?  " 

"  She  is  engaged  to  be  married  to  my  son  Lynn.  Her  sym- 
pathies are  naturally  with  the  southern  cause.  " 

Bravo !  Mamma-in-law !  Could  the  subtlest  diplomate  have 
sketched  the  ease  —  as  it  should  be,  according  to  respectable, 
hymeneal  laws  —  with  fewer  and  more  graceful  touches  ?  I 
could  have  liked  her  at  that  moment,  had  I  not  known  what 
rank  hypocrisy  lurked  beneath  this  fair  pretence  of  maternal 
approbation  of  her  son's  choice,  and  justification  of  the  "  secesh  " 
proclivities  of  his  fiancee. 

Colonel  Copeland's  next  query  was  a  rousing  "  feeler." 

"  Do  you  consider  her  entirely  trustworthy?" 

A  blank  and  awful  silence  !  AVhat  hindered  me  from  rising 
and  confronting  the  three  base-hearted  women  with  the  array 
of  sarcastic  invectives  that  rushed  hotly  to  my  tongue  ?  Sig- 
nificant reticence  is  the  surest  method  adopted  by  prudes  and 
demure-faced  slanderers  for  blackening  a  sister's  fame  —  and 
because  the  easiest  and  safest,  the  most  popular. 

Elinor  recovered  speech  earliest.  "  She  knows  nothing  that 
could  injure  us,  if  it  were  told.  I  do  not  think  she  would  be- 
tray us  if  she  were  acquainted  with  everything." 

"  I  wouldn't  trust  her  I  "  broke  in  Miss  Morris.  *'  She  is  a 
snake  in  the  grass  —  one  of  the  slyest  and  most  venomous 
sort ! " 

"May  I  ask  your  reasons  for  this  declaration.  Miss. Ellen?" 
inquired  Colonel  Copeland,  unperturbed  by  the  announcement 
of  my  depravity. 

"  If  you  please,  Ellen,  we  will  not  introduce  anything  into 

this  discussion  that  cannot  possibly  aid  us   in  discovering  the 

real  agents  of  the  mischief!  "  said  my  Lady,  in  her  tranquilly 

imperious  manner.      "  Miss  Lamar's   interests  are  so   nearly 

27* 


318  SUNNYBANK. 

iJentical  with  ours,  Colonel  Copeland,  that  the  idea  of  associ- 
ating her  with  any  project  for  our  ruin  is  absurd." 

"It  Avould  indeed  appear  that  you  are  right,"  was  the  re- 
sponse ;  "  but  these  are  odd  times.  A  man's  foes  are  oftenest 
those  of  his  own  household.  When  fathers  and  sons  are  in 
arms  against  each  other,  the  animosity  of  daughter-in-law  to 
mother-in-law  is  the  more  plausible.  The  facts  that  Miss  La- 
mar is  the  one  member  of  your  family  —  in  the  absence  of 
your  sons  —  who  inclines  to  the  southern  cause,  and  that 
she  is  for  this  reason  excluded  from  your  family  conferences, 
dispose  me  to  pry  very  narrowly  into  what  were  her  move- 
ments and  who  her  correspondents  about  the  time  of  Mr. 
Lacy's  arrest.  Every  petty  official  is  on  the  qui  vive  for  trea- 
sonable symptoms  —  imagines  himself  Fouque,  Cicero,  and 
Brutus  welded  into  one  mass  of  human  metal,  and  set  for  the 
defence  of  a  government  that  would  be  better  off  if  a  bayonet 
were  forced  into  the  hands  of  each,  and  he  put  into  the  front 
ranks  with  a  clievaux  de  frise  of  bayonets  at  his  back  to  pre- 
vent his  running  away.  An  indiscreet  admission,  a  look  or 
gesture,  from  Miss  Lamar  would  put  these  ferrets  upon  the 
scent ;  and  once  fairly  started,  they  would  manufacture  a  rat 
rather  than  acknowledge  that  they  had  been  humbugged." 

"  Miss  Lamar  is  never  indiscreet,"  said  Miss  Morris. 
"  Whatever  she  does  has  been  well  conceived  beforehand." 

She  did  me  bare  justice  thus  far,  and  while  doing  it,  height- 
ened the  unfavorable  impression  of  me  already  existing  in  Colo- 
nel Copeland's  mind. 

He  pushed  his  examination  farther. 

"  Have  you  lived  habitually  upon  good  terms  with  one  an- 
other ?     What  is  her  disposition  ?  " 

"  She  has  a  high  temper  and  a  strong  will.  The  one  keeps 
the  other  in  check,"  said  Mrs.  Lacy.  "  There  has  never  been 
a  quarrel  between  her  and  any  of  us  during  her  residence  at 
Sunnybank.  Her  deportment  is  uniformly  respectful,  and  usu- 
ally affectionate." 

*'  Is  she  quick  —  intelligent  —  clever  ?  " 


SUNNYBANK.  319 

The  answer  came  simultaueously  from  the  three  in  varying 
intonations.  Miss  Morris  said,  "Decidedly!"  emphatically, 
as  she  might  have  commended  the  ability  of  Mephistopheles. 
"  More's  the  pity ! "  is  what  she  wonld  have  added,  had  she 
completed  her  verdict  in  words. 

Mrs.  Lacy  said,  "  She  is ! "  in  a  studiously  unremarkable 
manner,  wliile  Elinor  replied,  "  Very ! "  with  amiable  heai't- 
iness. 

"  Handsome?" 

JVlrs.  Lacy  answered  again,  "  Yery  beautiful ! " 

"  And  very  much  attached  to  my  friend  Lynn  —  eh  !  The 
scaramouch  !  Fancy  his  presuming  to  take  to  himself  a  wife  ! 
He  wasn't  out  of  jackets  when  I  saw  him  last.  Has  this  young 
lady  many  intimate  friends  —  confidants  —  soul-sisters,  etc.  ?  " 

"  None !  " 

The  monosyllable  rang  upon  my  ear  like  a  kneU.  It  was 
true  !  true  !  I  had  no  friend,  no  adviser.  Lone  sparrow  upon 
the  housetop,  I  might  chatter  and  make  my  moan,  and  none  stay 
to  heed  and  console.  Quoi  done  ?  There  is  the  more  reason 
why  I  should  take  care  of  myself. 

"  A  remarkable  woman,  truly  !     No  correspondents?  " 

"  None  except  my  sons,  Eoss  and  Lynn." 

"And  Major  Kingston!"  interjected  Miss  Morris,  offi- 
ciously. 

"  Aha !  she  writes  to  him  then  I  Do  you  see  the  letters, 
Miss  Elinor  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  They  are  very  good  friends,  and  I  know  that  they 
do  exchange  letters  occasionally." 

"  She  makes  no  secret  of  this?" 

"  No,  sir.  She  usually  mentions  to  me  when  she  has  heard 
from  him,  often  giving  me  messages  he  has  sent  through  her  to 
me." 

"  Does  he  write  to  you,  too  ?  " 

"  Never,  sir." 

"  He  shows  bad  taste  there,"  said  the  gallant  wamor. 


820  SUNNYBANK. 

"It  is  not  his  fault  that  he  refrains,"  Miss  Morris  observed, 
dryly. 

"  I  see !  I  thought  him  a  sensible  young  fellow.  I  am 
pleased  to  retain  my  original  opinion  of  him.  Excuse  me,  my 
dear  Miss  Elinor,  for  asking  your  mother  a  question  in  your 
hearing  which  may  sound  impertinent.  "We  lawyers  are  used 
to  following  out  all  sorts  of  unlikely  trails,  you  know.  Can 
either  of  you  ladies  inform  me  whether  Miss  Lamar  and  Major 
Kinjjston  have  any  common  jrrud^re  acrainst  a  sinsjle  member  of 
the  Lacy  family?  TTas  there  ever  anything  in  their  past  inter- 
course with  yourself,  Mrs.  Lacy,  or  your  husband,  or  daugh- 
ter, which  may  have  implanted  the  germ  of  ill  will?  any  slight 
—  real  or  fancied  —  any  foiled  scheme  —  any  exhibition  of 
envy,  or  rivalry,  or  petty  revenge?" 

I  held  my  breath  as  the  horrid  creature  spun  out  his  list  of 
interrogations.  Now  for  it !  for  ripping  up  old  wounds  and 
copying  old  scores  !  I  am  confident  that  a  whole  hour  passed 
before  any  one  offered  a  reply.  I  knew  I  lived  an  eternity  in 
what  was  probably,  after  all,  not  more  than  sixty  seconds  of 
suspense. 

"  This  is  a  singular  question  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lacy,  very  slowly, 
pondering  each  syllable  and  letter  of  her  answer.  "  There 
have  been  events  in  the  life  of  both  which  miG^ht  form  the  basis 
of  dislike  toward  one  or  more  of  us  —  but  Mr.  Lacy  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  these." 

"  Pardon  me  again.  Miss  Elinor !  you  tn-III  think  me  a  rough 
old  bear !  but —  Mrs.  Lacy,  will  you  be  candid  with  me,  and 
say  if  I  am  correct  in  suspecting  that  your  daughter  was  the 
disturbing  agent  in  these  contretemps  ?  My  dear  young  lady, 
this  is  not  the  season  for  foolish  reserve.  Your  mother  and  I 
had  delicate  and  sad  confidences  together  years  before  you  were 
born.  She  did  me  a  great  service  then,  which  I  can  never  re- 
pay. I  would  show  my  gratitude  by  the  effort  to  serve  her  and 
those  whom  she  loves.  She  would  commit  the  life  of  her  hus- 
band to  my  care  if  need  were.  You  must  bear  with  my  med- 
dling imtil  I  learn  all  there  is  to  tell  pertaining  to  this  affair. 


SUNNTBANK.  321 

There  has  been  villany  somewhere.  For  that  villanj  there 
existed  a  motive,  and  a  powerful  one.  The  foe  incurred  no 
little  peril  in  putting  his  device  into  execution.  I  am  interpen- 
etrated with  the  idea  that  a  woman  is  somehow  mixed  up  in 
this  mess  —  but  a  woman  did  not  write  that  letter.     There  are 

strokes  that  show  the  soldier.     General  B told  me,  to-day, 

that  no  accomplished  engineer  could  have  described  the  defences 
of  the  river  and  the  adjacent  country  with  more  accuracy  than 
does  that  epistle.  Here,  then,  lie  two  facts.  The  author  of  the 
forgery  was  cognizant  of  the  internal  operations  of  your  fam- 
ily, knew  that  your  father  had  w^ritten  to  Mr.  Dana,  and  where 
this  gentleman  was  residing;  and  was  likewise  familiar  with 
the  lines  of  defence  constructed  by  the  Confederate  troops,  for 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  up  the  river.  I  say  there  is  strong  evi- 
dence of  joint  work  in  this  composition.  Now,  may  Mamma 
answer  me  frankly,  as  I  have  talked  to  you?  " 
"  She  may." 

I  should  have  marvelled  at  Elinor's  finn  voice  had  I  been  less 
excited.  This  man,  with  his  blandly  protecting  manner  and 
invincible  coolness,  suggested  things  that  curdled  my  blood. 
Yet  what  had  I  to  fear?  In  calm  retrospection,  I  can  now 
defy  him  —  laugh  at  his  farce  of  detection,  make  jokes  to  my- 
self, and  be  amused  by  them,  about  his  resemblance  to  the  im- 
mortal Mr.  Inspector  Bucket,  and  his  scrupulous  "  Sir  Leicester 
Dedlock,  Baronet." 

My  Lady's  response  was  straightforward  and  to  the  point. 
"  My  daughter,  you  may  go  into  the  library  for  a  minute." 
And  when  she  had  obeyed  —  "  Elinor  was  betrothed  to  a  young 
officer  in  the  Federal  army  who  is  now  dead.  We  have  reason 
to  fear  that  Agatha  was,  at  one  time,  attached  to  him,  and  that 
his  engagement  to  my  daughter  was  the  source  of  disquietude 
to  her.  With  regard  to  Major  Kingston  —  he  addressed  Elinor 
several  years  since,  and  was  refused.  But  his  conduct  of  late 
exonerates  him  entirely,  in  my  opinion,  from  the  charge  of  un- 
worthy spite,  or  the  desire  for  revenge." 

And  she  expatiated  upon  his  virtues  and  beneficent  deeJ^^ 


322  SUNNYBANK. 

until  I  wondered  why  I  liad  never  guessed  wliat  an  incarnation 
of  angelhood  was  this  flourishing  sprig  of  the  chivalry. 

"  You  are  a  competent  judge  of  character.  I  should  be  -vvill- 
ing  to  accept  your  conclusion,"  commented  the  Colonel.  "  I 
was  prepossessed  myself  in  Major  Kingston's  favor  by  what 
I  have  seen  of  him  in  action.  He  has  courage  of  a  high  order, 
and  a  brave  man  is  seldom  a  rogue.  I  must  dream  over  what 
I  have  heard  before  sketching  my  campaign.  May  Miss  Elinor 
come  back  ?  '* 

Miss  Morris  got  up  to  summon  the  shrinking  damsel  who 
could  stab  me  in  the  back  with  her  smoothly  delivered  implica- 
tions, but  who  was  too  modest  and  tender  to  be  allowed  to  hear 
a  reference  to  her  deceased  lover.  This  was  my  opportunity 
for  escape,  since  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  waiting  longer,  and 
Miss  Morris  might  take  it  into  her  crafty  skull  to  spy  out  my 
whereabouts.  I  glided  through  the  window  which  opened  down 
to  the  floor  of  the  portico,  sped  up  the  back  stairway  to  my 
room,  threw  myself  across  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  was  sound 
asleep  in  a  second.  I  am  beginning  to  cherish  a  grateful  be- 
lief in  my  angel  of  presentiment.  I  "was  barely  settled  to  my 
satisfaction  when  a  step  was  audible  upon  the  stairs  —  knuckles 
struck  smartly  against  the  panel  of  my  half-opened  door.  I 
was  quiet. 

"  Agatha  !  Miss  Lamar  !  "  called  Miss  Morris. 

No  answer.  She  crept  into  the  room,  and  a  stream  of  light 
from  the  hall  revealed  my  recumbent  figure.  She  stood  stock 
still  —  hearkening,  I  knew,  to  the  regular  rise  and  fall  of  my 
breathing  —  then  went  out  again.  Colonel  Copeland  had  per- 
haps sent  her  for  me  that  he  might  get  a  sight  of  the  wicked 
conspirator.  Animated  by  the  thought,  I  jumped  up  ;  struck  a 
light ;  brushed  my  hair ;  smiled  at  the  mirror,  to  see  whether 
I  could  execute  the  gi'imace  without  approximating  a  death's 
head,  and  walked  boldly  into  the  lion's  mouth  —  that  is  to  say, 
the  Colonel's  presence. 

He  bowed  low  and  politely,  when.  I  was  introduced,  and  not 


SUNNYBANK.  323 

to  embarrass  me  by  the  scrutiny  of  a  stranger,  resumed  his  con- 
versation with  Mrs.  Dana,  who  had  returned  to  the  parlor. 

"  Did  you  come  to  my  room  just  now  !  "  I  asked  of  Elinor. 
*'  Some  one  awakened  me,  or  I  dreamed  that  my  name  was 
called." 

"  I  went  to  look  after  you,*'  said  Miss  Morris.  "  We  thought 
you  had  absconded." 

I  laughed  —  and  Carleton  entering  with  Kolf  at  this  oppor- 
tune instant,  I  rallied  him  upon  his  desertion  of  me. 

"  I  should  be  implacable  but  for  the  excuse  he  threw  over  his 
shoulder  in  his  flight,"  I  added.  "  The  Hero  of  Muddy  Bot- 
tom ! "  he  uttered  in  a  stage  whisper  —  and  I  did  what  many 
valorous  men  have  done,  at  Colonel  Copeland's  approach  —  beat 
a  precipitate  retreat. 

The  Colonel  eyed  me  intently  while  the  others  applauded  my 
tribute  to  his  prowess.  Either  he  is  indifferent  to  flattery,  or 
he  was  studying  some  other  matter.  For  my  pretty  hit  did  not 
tell.  By  and  by  he  said,  "  Good  night,"  and  took  Miss  Morris 
home  under  his  renowned  arm,  and  the  company  broke  up. 

I  too  have  dreamed  over  what  I  have  learned,  and  in  my 
humble  way  sketched  my  campaign.  My  tactics  are  simple.  I 
shall  adopt  Mr.  Weller's  favorite  mode  of  defence,  and  "  prove 
a  halibi." 


324  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

ELINOR. 

September  15. 

We  have  been  at  Suuuybank  a  month  to-day.  Carrie  fell 
sick  in  Richmond  with  fever,  and  advised  by  the  physicians, 
and  urged  by  Papa,  we  brought  her,  by  short  and  easy  stages, 
home. 

It  was  well  for  ourselves,  and  for  the  plantation,  that  we  re- 
turned when  we  did.  A  deserted  house  is  public  property, 
liable  to  the  depredations  of  both  armies.  "While  we  were 
away,  fences  were  levelled,  growing  crops  trodden  under  foot 
of  cattle  and  men ;  and  but  for  the  kindness  of  our  neighbor 
Mr.  James  Kingston,  in  soliciting  a  Confederate  guard  for  the 
house,  it  would  have  been  rifled  of  all  valuables,  and  the  furni- 
ture broken  up  or  removed.  The  servants  generally  behaved 
well.  Uncle  Will's  authority  was  sufficient  to  control  most  of 
them,  and  keep  them  at  work.  But  two  entire  families  left 
home  and  our  service  before  our  return.  Mamma  was  pained 
by  their  defection.  They  were  old  family  servants  —  there  are 
none  others  on  the  place  —  whose  parents  and  grandparents 
were  in  the  employ  of  ours.  Mamma  was  brought  up  with  the 
heads  of  these  families  —  superintended  the  rearing  of  the 
younger  ones,  and  was  sincerely  attached  to  them  all.  It  was 
an  unkind  blow  —  this  abandomnent  of  her  and  her  children  in 
the  day  of  their  misfortune. 

She  collected  those  who  remained  into  the  dining-room  on  the 
evening  of  our  arrival,  and  offered  to  release  them  if  they  did 
not  wish  to  stay  with  her. 

"  I  am  straitened  for  money,"  she  said,  "  and  I  never  needed 


SUNNYBANK.  325 

wealth  before  as  I  need  it  now.  Your  master's  trial  will  be 
expensive,  but  he  shall  be  properly  defended  if  I  have  to  sell 
the  house  over  my  head  to  obtain  the  means.  Not  even  to 
procure  these  would  I  consent  to  sell  one  of  my  servants.  The 
oldest  of  you  here  will  bear  me  witness  that  I  have  never  parted 
with  one  of  those  whom  my  father  left  me,  and  my  heavenly 
Father,  who  is  also  yours,  designed,  as  I  believe,  that  I  should 
protect  and  provide  for  as  for  my  own  sons  and  daughters.  I 
have  no  power  to  keep  you  with  me.  If  you  choose  to  go,  I 
would  not,  if  I  could,  drag  you  back.  It  rests  entirely  with 
yourselves  whether  you  follow  the  example  of  Claiborne  and 
"Watt"  —  the  runaways  —  "or  stand  by,  and  work  with  me. 
"While  I  have  a  home,  you  shall  have  one.  "While  I  live, 
I  shall  care  for  you  as  I  have  done  in  the  past.  Dark  days  and 
nights  of  sorrow  have  overtaken  us,  but  they  have  not  come 
through  your  master's  fault  or  mine.  It  is  the  will  of  the  Lord 
that  we  should  suffer  at  the  hands  of  those  to  whom  we  have 
done  no  wrong.  We  look  to  Him  for  strength  to  bear  it  patient- 
ly, and  trust  in  His  promise  that  we  shall  yet  find  a  path  out  of 
our  trials." 

She  stood  on  the  hearth  at  the  upper  end  of  the  room,  Agatha 
and  I  near  her,  when  she  made  this  address.  Her  eye  was 
steady  as  an  eagle's ;  her  form  erect ;  her  voice  not  loud,  but 
her  articulation  so  pure  that  those  most  remote  from  her  did 
not  lose  a  word.  My  tears  came  unbidden,  and  I  turned  away 
to  hide  them  as  she  finished.  I  did  not  marvel  that  the  warm, 
impressible  hearts  of  her  servants  vented  themselves  in  loud 
weeping  —  that  some  threw  themselves  upon  the  floor  at  her 
feet,  grasping  and  kissing  her  dress  and  hands,  while  all  united 
in  a  voluntary  promise  to  labor  for  her  so  long  as  she  needed 
or  desired  to  retain  them  in  her  service. 

"  I  thank  you  all,  and  trust  you,"  she  said,  when  order  w^as 
restored.  "  I  shall  write  to  your  master  to-morrow,  and  tell 
him  what  you  have  said  and  done.  I  could  hardly  send  him 
news  that  would  please  him  more.  I  thank  you  in  his  name  as 
well  as  in  my  own.  Now  I  wish  to  have  you  all  pray  with  and 
28 


o 


26  SUNNYBANK. 


for  me  before  we  separate.  Uncle  "Will !  will  you  lead  our 
prayers  ?  " 

Papalias  often  said  that  Uncle  Will  was  more  gifted  in  prayer 
than  any  other  man  he  knew  —  hut  he  never  prayed  before  as 
he  did  that  evening,  standing  —  like  an  Eastern  patriarch,  with 
his  dusky  face  and  snowy  hair  —  surrounded  by  our  bowed  fig- 
ures. He  loves  Mamma  better,  I  verily  believe,  than  he  does 
his  children  ;  and  his  voice  was  choked  by  sobs  when  he  poured 
forth  his  soul  in  her  behalf. 

"  She  has  walked  before  Thee  humbly  and  in  Thy  fear  all 
the  days  of  her  life.  She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom,  and 
in  her  tonirue  is  the  law  of  kindness  ;  she  stretcheth  out  her 
hand  to  the  poor  —  yea,  she  stretcheth  forth  her  hands  to  the 
needy.  The  heart  of  her  husband  doth  safely  trust  in  her ; 
her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed.  Yet  oh,  our  Father, 
Thy  hand  is  heavy  upon  her.  The  violent  have  come  upon  her 
land,  like  a  sweeping  rain  that  leaveth  no  food ;  they  have  de- 
voured her  corn  and  vines  like  locusts  ;  they  have  I'emoved  the 
landmarks  ;  they  have  taken  away  flocks  and  the  food  thereof. 
The  troops  have  come  together,  and  raised  up  jlieir  way  against 
her,  and  encamped  round  about  her  habitation.  Her  kinsfolk 
have  failed,  and  her  familiar  friends  have  forgotten  her.  Those 
that  dwelt  in  her  house,  and  her  maids,  have  counted  her  as  a 
stranger.  She  called  her  servants,  and  they  gave  her  no  an- 
swer. Her  children  are  far  from  safety  —  her  husband  is 
carried  away  captive,  and  her  sons  lie  like  bulls  in  a  net.  Re- 
member her,  in  all  her  afflictions,  we  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord ! 
Let  the  sighing  of  the  prisoner  come  up  before  Thee.  Bring 
him  out  from  the  prison,  and  him  that  sits  in  darkness  out  of 
the  prison-house.  Attend  unto  his  cry,  for  he  is  brought  very 
low.  In  the  way  wherein  he  Avalked  they  have  privily  laid  a 
snare  for  him.  Grant  not,  O  Lord,  the  desires  of  the  wicked  ; 
further  not  their  wicked  devices,  lest  they  exalt  themselves. 
These  Thy  servants  have  not  despised  the  chastening  of  the 
Almighty.  In  all  this,  they  have  sinned  not,  nor  charged  Thee 
foolishly.      They  have  behaved   and  quieted  themselves   as  a 


SUNNYBANK.  327 

child  that  is  weaned  of  his  mother.  Wilt  Thou  not  deliver 
them  in  six  troubles,  yea,  in  seven  let  no  evil  touch  them  !  In 
famine  deliver  them  from  death,  and  in  war  from  the  power  of 
the  sword.  Hide  them  from  the  scourge  of  the  tongue,  neither 
let  them  be  afraid  of  destruction  when  it  cometh.  Our  eyes 
wait  upon  Thee  until  that  Thou  have  mercy  upon  us.  Have 
mercy  upon  us,  O  Lord  !  have  mercy  upon  us  !  for  our  soul  is 
exceedingly  filled  with  the  scorning  of  those  that  are  at  ease,  and 
the  contempt  of  the  proud.  But  our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the 
LoKD,  which  made  heaven  and  earth." 

De  profundis  clamavi !  The  subdued  wail  of  the  organ,  the 
chanting  of  stoled  priests,  the  fragrant  clouds  swung  from  sil- 
ver censers,  could  not  have  added  impressiveness  to  the  scene, 
as  the  quavering  accents  of  the  aged  slave,  untaught  save  by 
tlie  Spirit  of  our  God,  arose  in  the  summer  twilight  from  the 
heart  of  that  weeping  band  of  the  Lord's  stricken  ones. 

Mamma's  face  was  bathed  in  tears,  when  she  arose,  but  she 
extended  her  hand  to  her  loyal  protector  and  servant,  with  a 
smile. 

"  You  have  done  me  great  good  !  Our  Saviour  will  reward 
you  for  it ;  for  it  was  done  in  His  name  I  " 

Under  her  efficient  management,  the  aspect  of  the  estate  has 
improved  materially.  In  the  hope  of  late  frosts,  we  have  sowed 
corn  for  foddering  the  cattle  fluring  the  winter,  and  planted  va- 
rious vegetables  that  will  not  be  injured  by  the  cold  weather,  or 
which  will  mature  before  this  sets  in.  Eggs  are  excluded  from 
table  use,  and  set  to  insure  a  supply  of  poultry,  while  a  large 
proportion  of  the  cattle  are  provided  with  hiding-places  in  the 
swamp,  and  rarely  brought  up  to  the  house.  Secret  chambers 
have  also  been  constructed  under  Mammy's  and  Uncle  Vi'iil's 
houses  for  storing  silver  and  other  portable  treasures,  and  a 
large  pit  dug  and  lined  with  planks  and  cement  fop  the  reception 
of  our  winter's  supply  of  meat,  when  this  shall  be  prepared. 
Most  of  the  grown-up  negroes  are  acquainted  with  these  ar- 
rangements for  the  preservation  of  our  property.  We  do  nut 
fear  betrayal  from  them.     Mamma  has  determined  to  show  no 


328  SUNNYBANK. 

half-way  coufidence  in  their  honor  and  friendship.  We  have  no 
communication  with  the  neighboring  plantations,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Mr.  James  Kingston's.  He  has  been  to  see  us  twice  — 
as  he  was  careful  to  make  us  understand  —  at  Eolf's  earnest 
request. 

From  him  we  have  learned  that  most  of  the  planters  around 
us  have  abandoned  all  effort  to  repair  their  losses,  or  to  provide 
against  future  depredations.  "  If  we  die  —  we  die  !  "  is  their 
motto.  There  are  no  young  men  left  at  home  to  win,  by  ener- 
getic labor,  compensation  from  the  earth/or  that  of  which  they 
have  been  robbed.  Only  women  and  gray-haired  fathers,  or  in- 
valid sons  and  brothers,  remain  to  provide  daily  bread  for  large 
and  helpless  families.  Produce  of  all  descriptions  would  com- 
mand high  prices  in  the  market ;  but  should  they  succeed  in 
gathering  their  harvests  without  molestation  from  the  raiders, 
they  would  not  venture  to  send  it  over  the  roads,  swarming  with 
scouting  parties  and  unlicensed  highwaymen  who  commit  rob- 
bery, and,  if  resisted,  murder,  under  pretence  of  collecting  sup- 
plies for  one  or  the  other  of  the  two  armies.  Want  stares  in  the 
face  those  who,  prior  to  the  war,  lived  in  luxurious  ease  —  want 
and  starvation  —  not  beggary;  for  those  of  whom  they  would 
solicit  relief,  in  their  extremity,  are  poor  as  themselves. 

How  often  and  portentously,  as  I  hear  of  the  privations,  suf- 
ferino"S,  and  bereavements  that  have  clothed  our  State  in  sack- 
cloth,  does  the  text,  I  once  heard  Uncle  Will  repeat  in  this 
connection,  ring  in  my  ears  ! 

"  Until  the  cities  be  wasted  without  inhabitant,  and  the 
houses  without  man,  and  the  land  be  utterly  desolate  !  " 

And  all  for  what  ?  Will  the  next  generation  be  able  to  an- 
swer this  question? 

Papa's  trial  is  still  unaccountably  deferred.  The  prison  rules 
are  more  rigid,  too,  than  during  the  earlier  period  of  his  con- 
finement. Our  visits,,  never  frequent,  Avere  divided  by  longer 
and  still  longer  intervals,  until,  one  day,  Rolf  came  to  us  in  deep 
dejection,  bearing  an  order  for  our  exclusion  until  further 
notice.    We  have  letters  from  Papa  yet,  and  can  write  in  reply  ; 


SUNNYBANK.  S*29 

and  this  inestimable  privilege  we  owe  to  Rolf.  But  for  him, 
our  situation,  from  the  day  of  that  shallow  mockery  of  exam- 
ination at  the  Court  House,  would  have  been  pitiable  indeed. 
He  has  been  twice  to  see  us  since  we  reached  home,  bringing, 
each  time,  inspiriting  news  of  our  beloved  absentee.  His  health 
has  not  suffered  seriously  from  his  protracted  confinement,  and 
he  is  serenely  hopeful  of  final  acquittal,  more  patient  than  we 
are  of  this  needless,  cruel  suspense.  It  helps  us  to  endure  the 
separation,  and  the  anxiety  and  dread  accompanying  it,  to  think 
of  his  uncomplaining  courage,  deprived,  as  he  is,  of  wholesome 
employment  for  body  and  mind  ;  his  language,  looks,  actions, 
subject  to  ceaseless  surveillance,  while  we  have  the  blessed  solace 
of  free  communion  with  one  another,  and  of  daily  labor.  We 
keep  very  busy  in  our  secluded  hive.  Drones  are  inadmissi- 
ble, for  all  must  work  for  the  common  living.  Mamma  is 
conscientious  in  her  resolve  to  husband  such  funds  as  she  has 
been  enabled  to  lay  aside  to  provide  for  the  exigencies  of  the 
wished-for  trial.  The  plantation  must  support  itself  and  us, 
and  we  must  conform  our  tastes  and  habits  to  our  means.  I 
find  in  the  necessity  for  constant  employment  alleviation  of  the 
heartache  that  has  become  a  condition  of  my  existence,  without 
which  I  should  not  know  myself.  ''  Belittling  cares,"  Agatha 
calls  the  duties  that  devolve  upon  us.  They  seem  more  to  me 
like  so  many  tiny  conductors  leading  off  in  as  many  directions 
the  surcharge  of  solicitude  that  would  else  press  too  heavily 
upon  life  and  reason. 

*' '  What  God  hath  blessed,  that  call  not  thou  common  ! '  " 
said  Mamma,  when  Agatha  made  this  exclamation.  "  I  thank 
Him  hourly  for  the  blessing  of  labor.  It  is  often  a  brace,  not 
a  burden,  which  He  fits  to  backs  already  bowed,  that  they  may 
grow  stronger  and  straighter." 

Agatha  laughed.  "  It  may  help  the  back,  but  it  hurts  the 
fingers.     Look  at  mine  !  " 

We  were  making  up  coarse  blue  and  yellow  homespun  into 
servants'  clothes.     Papa  set  the  example  in  the  county,  summer 
before  last,  of  planting  cotton  for  home  consumption.     Our  crop 
28* 


330  SUNNYBANK. 

th?f  year  is  promising,  and  has  thus  far  remained  unharmed. 
Spinning-wheels  and  looms  have  wrought  incessantly  upon  last 
summer's  supply,  for  several  weeks  past,  and  the  progress  of 
the  manufacture  has  been  watched  with  lively  interest  by  those 
who  hope  for  benefit  from  the  result.  I  -was  myself  pleas- 
urably  excited  yesterday,  when  I  helped  Mamma  unroll  a 
huge  piece  of,  what  Mammy  styled,  "  real  old-fashioned  Vir- 
ginny  cloth." 

"  A  step  toward  the  achievement  of  southern  independence  !  " 
said  Agatha,  fingering  one  end  of  the  stout  fabric. 

"A  retrogressive  step  !  "  answered  Mamma,  pleasantly,  "  for 
this  is  inferior  to  that  made  on  the  plantation  forty  years  ago, 
when  manufactures  were  in  their  cradle." 

A  hundred  times  a  day  do  I  wish  that  Colonel  Copeland  had 
never  stirred  up  doubts  in  our  minds  of  Agatha's  truthfulness 
and  honest  dealing  with  us.  I  wrestle  with  these  as  foes  to  my 
peace  and  traducers  of  her  good  name.  I  am  ashamed  to  catch 
myself  perpetually  on  the  watch  for  a  double  meaning  in  her 
talk  ;  for  mystery  in  her  movements  —  the  more  indignant  with 
my  own  unfairness  because  I  invariably  fail  to  discover  any- 
thing in  these  to  feed  my  suspicions.  She  is  gayer  than  Mam- 
ma and  I.  She  has  less  to  depress  her,  and  even  this  seeming 
lightness  may  be  assumed  to  divert  us  from  dwelling  upon  our 
griefs.  She  is  a  little  restive  occasionally  under  the  imposition 
of  unwonted  cares  —  a  natural  dislike  to  what  she  esteems  com- 
mon and  menial.  If  shek»w^ere*a  hypocrite,  she  w^ould  have  the 
art  to  conceal  these  signs  of  rebellion  ;  would  study  to  cajole 
and  fawn  that  she  might  ingratiate  herself  into  our  confidence. 
I  have  been  convinced,  all  along,  that  our  lawyer-friend  has  put 
himself  to  a  deal  of  trouble  to  no  purpose  ;  that  the  clew  he  is 
bent  upon  pursuing  is  not  Only  unlikely,  but  false.  Mamma  has 
had  but  one  note  from  him  since  he  left  Richmond  in  hot  haste, 
at  an  hour's  notice,  to  meet  Sheridan  in  the  Valley. 

"  I  do  not  forget  your  interests,"  he  wrote.  "  I  have  used 
my  best  endeavors  both  to  expedite  the  trial  and  to  discover  what 
unseen  influence  retards  it.     I  shall  not  trouble  you  with  con- 


sdnnybainK.  331 

jectures  and  theories,  but  when  I  have  run  down  the  game, 
will  make  it  known  by  word  of  mouth." 

The  same  lesson  repeated  from  every  side  —  so  easy  to  rec- 
ommend, so  difficult  to  practise —  "Wait!"      *     *     *     * 

I  broke  off  here  to  pet  Carrie,  who  presented  herself  in  my 
room  with  the  request  that  I  would  talk  to  her.  "  Mamma  and 
Mammy  were  cutting  out  work  and  Cousin  Agatha  was  asleep, 
and  she"  —  Carrie  —  "was  lonely  and  so  tired."  She  is  not 
strong  yet,  and  is  moreover  a  trifle  spoiled  by  the  attention  and 
indulgence  showed  her  while  sick.  I  took  her  upon  my  lap,  — 
the  more  lovingly  that  I  felt  what  a  light  weight  she  had  be- 
come, —  and  laying  her  head  upon  my  shoulder,  told  her  a  fairy 
tale,  then  another,  and  for  the  third,  the  story  of  a  little  girl 
named  Carrie,  who  kept  a  charm  in  her  pocket  that  made  every- 
body love  her.  She  laughed,  in  childish  glee,  when  good  nature 
and  sweet  temper  were  discovered  to  enter  largely  into  the  com- 
position of  the  amulet,  and  tugged  at  something  in  her  pocket. 

"  Was  it  like  this  —  do  you  think?"  she  asked,  at  last  extri- 
cating from  its  close  quarters  a  rusty-looking  daguerreotype 
case. 

"  Not  much  !  "  I  replied,  and  carelessly  undid  the  fastening. 

My  head  whirled  madly  for  an  instant ;  then  I  strained  my 
dizzy  sight  to  look  again  at  the  picture,  which  was  a  likeness  of 
Harry  —  one  I  had  never  seen  until  now. 

"Where  did  you  get  this?"  I  inquired,  when  I  could  speak. 

"  Cousin  Agatha  lent  me  a  big  box  of  ribbons,  and  feathers, 
and  flowers  to  play  with,  and  this  was  at  the  bottom.  I  put  it 
into  my  pocket  to  take  very  good  care  of  it,  and  forgot  all 
about  it." 

"  I  will  give  it  back  to  her  when  she  awakes,"  said  I. 

Carrie  sat  upon  my  knees  until  she  was  sleepy.  She  is  easily 
wearied  in  her  weak  state.  I  laid  her  upon  my  bed,  and  waited 
to  see  the  heavy  lids  close  fast.  Then  1  sought  Agatha.  She 
was  still  stretched  upon  the  lounge  in  her  room,  her  eyes  vel- 
vety black  and  her  complexion  fresh  after  her  siesta. 

"  Don't   think   me   the    chief  of  sluggards ! "   she    pleaded, 


332  SUNXYBANK. 

coaxingly.    "But  I  did  work  dreadfully  hard  this  forenoon,  and 
I  thought  I  had  earned  a  right  to  '  laze '  a  tiny  bit." 

"  Carrie  found  this  in  the  box  you  gave  her  to  play  with,"  I 
said,  laying  the  daguerreotype  upon  the  stand  by  her. 

Somehow,  I  could  not  give  it  into  her  hand. 

"  Ah ! "  with  a  scared  glance  at  me  when  she  saAV  what  it 
was.     "  I  did  not  know  it  was  in  there." 

*'  So  I  supposed !  "  I  replied,  and  turned  to  go  out. 

"  Stop  a  moment !  "  she  entreated.  "  Please  sit  down.  You 
do  not  feel  badly  because  I  have  kept  that  picture  —  do  you  ?  " 

I  was  unwilling  to  confess  that  I  had  felt  unpleasantly  at  the 
thou<Tht  of  its  being  in  her  possession  ;  that  she  was  not  the 
custodian  I  should  have  chosen  for  the  precious  relic.  I  evaded 
her  question. 

"  "NVhy  should  I  object?  You  were  acquainted  with  the  origi- 
nal before  I  was.  You  have  a  right  to  preserve  such  a  me- 
mento of  a  friend  if  you  wish  to  do  so." 

"  But  your  secret  thought  is,  that  I,  the  affianced  Avife  of  one 
man,  should  not  wish  to  keep  the  likeness  of  another.  Speak 
out  plainly !  "We  have  had  a  surfeit  of  partial  confidences. 
They  are  childish  and  nonsensical." 

I  was  displeased  at  her  petulance,  and  my  countenance 
showed  it,  although  I  said  nothing. 

"  Now  you  are  angry  !  "  She  pulled  me  down  to  the  seat  at 
her  side.  "  I  am  the  most  unfortunate  being  alive  !  When  I 
am  reserved,  I  am  suspected  of  '  treason,  stratagem,  and 
spoils.'  When  I  utter  my  whole  mind,  I  rupture  where  I  would 
conciliate  ;  alienate  those  whose  love  I  long  to  gain.  Do  not 
go  away  under  a  false  impression  of  Harry  or  of  me.  He  was 
far  more  faithful  to  you  than  it  is  in  the  nature  of  most  men 

to  be." 

"  I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean  by  that !  "  I  said.  "  If 
it  is  to  assure  me  that  he  was  true  to  me  in  thought,  word,  and 
act,  from  the  hour  he  first  loved  me  until  his  death,  I  know  it 
already,  better  than  any  one  else  can  tell  me." 

She  scanned  me  with  a  singular  expression — the  same  I  had 


SUNNYBANK.  333 

noticed  one  night,  more  than  a  year  since,  when  she  came  to  my 
room  to  inquire  what  was  my  decision  after  learning  that 
Harry  was'ia  the  Federal  army  —  a  significant  compassion  that 
aroused  me  now,  as  it  did  then,  to  quick  resentment. 

*'  I  ask  no  confirmation  of  this  !  "  I  repeated.  "  Nor  woi^ld 
I  credit  the  denial  of  it  were  ray  own  mother  to  offer  it !  " 

"  Be  still,  my  dear  child  !  "  she  said  softly  —  a  cooing  voice 
that  caressed  my  ear  even  while  I  would  have  shrunk  from  her 
blandishments.  "  You  are  tilting  with  images  of  your  own 
making.  No  one  wants  to  cast  discredit  upon  poor  Harry's 
constancy  to  you  —  least  of  all,  I,  who  was  the  first  confidante  of 
his  growing  attachment.  You  could  have  no  better  proof  that 
all  loverly  passages  were  entirely  over  with  us  than  his  seeking 
me  with  the  story  of  his  later  affection.  Our  engagement  was 
a  youthful  weakness,  the  folly  of  which  we  both  appreciated, 
before  he  transferred  his  addresses  to  you.  I  was  poor,  and  he 
ambitious,  and  hoping  to  be  rich.  I  told  him  this  frankly  w^hen 
I  asked  a  dissolution  of  this  compact ;  and  although  he  made  a 
decent  feint  of  opposition,  I  could  see  that  my  reasoning  was 
not  lost.  He  loved  you  very  dearly.  Never  doubt  it  if  it  com- 
forts you." 

I  was  changed  into  stone  as  the  poisonous  words  trickled 
into  my  ear.  I  could  not  leave  her  without  a  clear  comprehen- 
sion of  the  thing  she  hinted  at,  which  she  took  for  granted  was 
a  familiar  tale  to  me. 

"  I  had  understood  from  you,  as  from  Mr.  Wilton,  that  you 
were  friends  —  nothing  more,"  I  said  mechanically. 

"  We  were  friends,  dear,  when  he  sued  for  your  hand.  But 
Harry  was  in  fault  if  he  did  not  tell  you  that  he  had  loved  me, 
or  fancied  he  did,  in  his  younger  days.  Perfect  confidence  in 
such  affairs  is  the  only  foundation  for  perfect  happiness.  Before 
I  engaged  myself  to  your  brother,  I  revealed  to  him  every  par- 
ticular connected  with  this  prior  attachment.  It  was  my  duty 
to  speak,  and  his  right  to  hear  of  it.  Harry  erred  in  not  treat- 
ing you  w^ith  equal  candor." 


334  SUNNYBANK. 

"  He  had  some  excellent  reason  for  the  reserve,"  I  said,  more 
and  more  be^vildered  by  her  air  of  quiet  assurance. 

"Unquestionably!  He  was  a  man  of  singular  discretion. 
I  would  not  have  reverted  to  the  matter  at  all,  even  to  explain 
my  possession  of  tlie  portrait,  had  I  not  believed  that  you  knew 
all  about  it.  He  gave  me  the  picture  during  our  betrothal,  and 
he  would  never  take  it  back.  I  made  a  final  effort  to  surren- 
der it  one  evening  just  previous  to  his  leaving  Virginia.  You 
may  recollect,  he  wrote  to  you  of  his  intention  to  go  north,  and 
left  the  note  at  Mrs.  Dana's  door  for  you.  I  had  been  out  with 
Rolf  Kingston,  and  we  came  up  just  as  Harry  turned  away 
from  the  steps.  He  asked  me  to  walk  with  him.  He  had 
something  important  to  communicate.  You  know  I  told  you 
next  day  that  I  had  heard  a  rumor  of  his  intended  departure 
the  preceding  night.  I  was  greatly  concerned  at  the  announce- 
ment, and  did  not  try  to  conceal  my  regret.  He  saw  my  emo- 
tion, and  misinterpreted  it.  His  own  heart  was  very  full,  and 
he  said  much  tliat  he  would  have  scrupled  to  utter  in  a  calmer 
moment.  I  was  shocked  and  pained,  and  answered  hastily. 
He  grew  warm,  and  so  did  I ;  and  in  brief,  my  dear,  we  had  a 
very  ridiculous  scene !  Poor,  dear  Harry !  It  grieves  me 
whenever  I  reflect  that  my  last  interview  with  him  was  marked 
by  bickerings  and  recriminations.  His  was  a  generous  nature, 
and  he  repented  himself  of  his  unreasonable  conduct  when  he 
recovered  his  senses.  Here  is  the  note  he  left  with  you  for  me. 
The  excitement  and  the  tearful  night  that  ensued  upon  this 
quarrel  with  my  old  and  cherished  friend  had  induced  a  frightful 
attack  of  neuralgia,  which  confined  me  to  my  room.  More- 
over, I  doubted  the  expediency  of  seeing  him  again.  It  was 
best  for  both  of  us  that  we  should  not  meet  just  then.  I  have 
treasured  the  note  of  apology  as  a  token  that  he  did  me  justice 
in  the  end ;  that  he  did  not  bear  away  with  him  the  heart- 
burnings he  had  expressed  upon  that  unhappy  eveniug.  I  wish 
you  would  read  it.  You  will  see  that  it  does  credit  to  his 
cooler  judgment  and  his  warm  heart." 

She  slipped  the  paper  between  my  fingers.     My  eyes  rested 


SUNNYBANK.  335 

upon  it ;  my  miad  strove  to  receive  the  meaning  of  the  charac- 
ters —  the  import  of  the  sentences.  But  in  the  review  I  see 
that  I  was  incapable  of  comprehending  anything  clearly.  The 
note  was  very  kind,  and,  as  she  had  described  it,  apologetic. 
He  was  "  disappointed  and  shocked  "  by  what  had  passed  at  their 
last  meeting.  "  But  since  it  is  past,  let  it  be  forgotten  by  us 
both.  Life  is  too  short,  and  real  friends  are  too  few,  for  us  to 
nurse  unkind  remembrances  of  those  in  whose  fidelity  Ave  can 
have  faith."  Then  he  alluded  to  "  dear  and  lovely  reminis- 
cences of  their  intercourse  ;  "  assured  her  of  a  continuance  of 
his  "  affectionate  interest "  in  her,  and  prayed  that  she  might 
"  be  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  Heaven's  best  gifts  —  hope, 
love,  happiness,"  and  signed  himself — "Faithfully,  Harry 
WiUon." 

I  could  not  dispute  the  genuineness  of  the  note.  It  was  the 
identical  envelope  he  had  given  me  to  be  delivered  with  his 
farewell  to  Agatha.  I  remember  every  incident  of  that  last 
day,  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday.  I  observed  a  peculiarity  in 
the  superscription  as  I  took  the  letter. 

"  You  have  written  '  Agatha  P.  Lamar,'  I  said.  "  She 
has  dropped  the  middle  name  from  her  signature.  She  does 
not  like  it." 

"  Ah  !  "  he  said,  indifferently,  and  began  to  talk  of  plans  for 
our  correspondence  —  which  were  never  realized  ! 

His  handwriting  was  marked,  and,  to  me,  unmistakable. 
There  was  no  space  for  questioning  in  this  regard.  He,  and  he 
alone,  had  written  these  half-dozen  lines,  which  I  refolded  and 
laid  upon  the  daguerreotype. 

"  You  may  have  them  if  you  wish,"  said  Agatha,  in  kind 
accents. 

"  I  do  not  want  them,"  I  replied. 

I  stopped  at  the  door  with  the  confused  idea  that  I  must  re- 
iterate my  trust  in  Harry ;  defend  his  memory  in  the  face  of 
apparent  inconsistencies  of  profession  and  conduct. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  have  told  me  what  Mr.  Wilton  did  not 
think  it  best  I  should  know.     But  nothing  in  the  story  I  have 


336  SUNNYBANK. 

just  listened  to  has  altered  my  opinion  of  him  in  the  least.  I 
Mas  perplexed  while  you  were  narrating  it.  There  is  much  in 
it  which  is  yet  enigmatical  to  me.  If  he  had  lived,  he  would 
have  explained  all  to  my  satisfaction.  Believing  this,  my  faith 
in  his  goodness,  his  honor,  and  his  constancy  remains  firm." 

This  is  the  anchor  to  which  I  still  cling  in  the  storm  of  unrest 
that  drifts  me  to  and  fro,  as  I  go  over  the  strange  tale  I  have 
heard  once  and  again,  trying  to  separate  truth  from  falsehood ; 
to  reconcile  Agatha's  plausible  statements  with  what  I  saw  for 
myself,  and  what  Harry  told  me,  and  led,  or  suffered,  me  to 
believe. 

He  loved  her  first  and  last ;  he  would  have  married  her  had 
her  worldly  advantages  equalled  mine  :  in  the  anguish  of  the 
anticipated  parting  his  true  feelings  asserted  their  supremacy ; 
he  forgot  his  pledge  to  me  ;  his  ambitious  dreams  —  everything 
but  the  reviving  glow  of  his  old  passion  for  her.  Her  persistent 
rejection  of  his  addresses  inflamed  him  to  madness,  which  was 
repented  of  when  sober  reflection  returned. 

This,  if  not  what  she  said,  is  the  substance  of  what  she 
meant  me  to  believe.  Opposed  to  her  wily  insinuations,  direct 
protestations,  and  formidable  array  of  evidence,  I  have  but  my 
faith  in  him  —  his  character  and  his  word.  By  this  I  will 
abide  until  our  meeting  where  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling. 


SUNNYBANK.  '        337 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

AGATHA. 

November  28. 

Roaming,  like  an  unquiet  spirit,  from  room  to  room,  from  hall 
to  staircase,  of  this  old  house,  —  hearing  the  echo  of  my  foot- 
steps behind  me  in  the  long,  dark  passages  and  on  the  broad 
stairs,  until  I  was  afraid  to  look  over  my  shoulder,  lest  I  should 
encounter  the  gaze  of  goblin  pursuers  ;  hearing  the  wind  scream 
and  howl  without  and  the  rain  dash,  in  rattling  sheets,  against 
the  shaking  casements,  —  I,  last  night,  made  my  way  to  the 
lower  story,  in  quest  of  human  society  that  might  dispel  the 
sense  of  unearthliness  that  bewitched  me.  The  parlor  door  was 
unlatched,  and  a  slender  stream  of  red  light  lay  athwart  the 
oaken  floor  of  the  hall.  I  heard  a  low,  murmuring  sound  within 
the  room,  and  pushed  the  door  noiselessly  a  little  farther  back, 
that  I  might  reconnoitre.  I  was  never  backward  in  improving 
such  advantages.  Now,  I  am  ceaselessly  upon  the  watch,  for 
my  next  step  niay  be  upon  a  murderous  torpedo. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  great  parlor  except  Elinor,  and  she 
was  wandering  up  and  down,  talking  to  herself,  or  reciting  in 
a  low,  sad  monotone,  it  gave  one  the  horrors  to  hear.  She 
wears  black  still,  and  her  dress,  being  of  some  soft  woollen 
material,  made  no  rustle  as  she  walked,  —  only  trailed  upon 
the  carpet  in  gloomy  folds,  precisely  after  the  fashion  of  the 
figures  of  Grief  one  sees  upon  tombs,  —  these  cowled  women, 
who  hang  their  heads  like  bulrushes,  and  hug  funereal  urns 
to  their  lacerated  bosoms.     Cold  comfort  —  I  should  say  ! 

This  animated  statuette  of  Melancholy  had  her  arms  crossed 
in  true  gravestone  style ;  head  slightly  depressed,  and  eyelids 
29 


338     *  SUNNYBANK. 

drooping.  The  fire  was  bright,  but  unsteady,  and  the  leaping 
flashes  gave  me  uncertain  glimpses  of  her  features.  She  was 
repeating  Longfellow's  "  Rainy  Day." 

"  The  day  is  cold,  and  dark,  and  dreary  ; 
It  rains,  and  the  wind  is  never  weary; 
The  vine  still  clings  to  the  mouldering  wall, 
But  at  every  gust  the  dead  leaves  fall, 

And  the  day  is  dark  and  dreary. 

"  My  life  is  cold,  and  dark,  and  dreary  ; 
It  rains,  and  the  wind  is  never  weary ; 
My  thoughts  still  cling  to  the  mouldering  Past, 
But  the  hopes  of  youth  fall  thick  in  the  blast, 

And  the  day  is  dark  and  dreary. 

♦'  Be  still,  sad  heart !  and  cease  repining; 
Behind  the  clouds  is  the  sun  still  ehiuiug; 
Thy  fate  is  the  common  fate  of  all ; 
Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall. 

Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary." 

Miss  Elinor  seemed  to  find  a  deal  of  consolation  in  saying 
over  this  commonplace  trifle  ;  but  to  my  notion,  the  comfort 
contained  in  the  closing  verse  is  of  the  same  description  as  that 
of  the  funereal  urns  spoken  of  just  now.  If  my  neighbor 
comes  to  grief — or,  as  the  poet  has  it,  if  rain  falls  into  his 
life,  is  that  any  reason  why  I  should  be  more  willing  to  take  a 
drenching?  It  doesn't  satisfy  me  —  it  never  did  —  to  know 
that  I  am  no  worse  ofl*  than  other  people.  I  don't  want  to  be 
so  badly  off,  by  a  great  deal.  I  should  like  to  be  richer,  and 
handsomer,  and  happier  than  all  my  acquaintances  put  together. 
If  there  is  one  small  annoyance  more  hateful  to  me  than 
another,  it  is  to  be  told  —  when  I  am  in  pain  of  body  or  mind 
—  all  sorts  of  tiresome  stories  of  how  others  have  suffered  from 
alike  cause.  As  if  I  cared  a  snap  if  the  rest  of  the  world 
went  supperless  to  bed,  provided  I  was  well  served  !  '^  Misery 
loves  company,"  is  an  adage  old  enough  to  be  more  true ; 
whereas,  the  fact  is,  that  thoroughly  miserable  people  are  so 
wrapped  up  in  the  contemplation  of  their  own  pet  woes  as  not 
to  cast  a  thought  to  the  orrievances  of  others.     And  so  with  the 


SUNNYBANK.  339 

pretty  figure  of  the  sun  still  shining  behind  the  clouds.     I  like 
better  that  deliciously  savage  snarl  of  the  old  rhyniester  — 

"  If  she  be  not  fair  for  me, 
What  care  I  how  fair  she  be  ?  " 

Do  I  walk  any  more  contentedly  and  safely  on  a  pitchy  dark 
night  for  the  reflection  that  the  Chinese  are  warding  off  the 
sunlight  from  their  yellow  complexions  with  their  bamboo 
umbrellas  ?  I  call  such  stanzas  as  these,  balderdash  —  worse 
for  all  mental  nutritive  and  medicinal  purposes  than  sawdust 
pudding  for  the  sustenance  of  the  body. 

It  fretted  me,  therefore,  to  see  the  pained  look  pass  from  the 
girl's  face,  and  one  of  mournful  serenity  settle  upon  it ;  to  note 
that  her  fingers  no  longer  chafed  one  another  in  nervous  dis- 
tress ;  to  hear  her  commence  softly,  but  more  distinctly,  another 
poem,  the  wind  and  rain  beating  time  to  the  rhythmic  measure. 

"  Ang-el  of  Patience,  sent  to  calm 
Our  feverish  brows  witli  cooling  palm ; 
To  lay  the  storms  of  hope  and  fear, 
And  reconcile  Life's  smile  and  tear; 
The  throbs  of  wounded  pride  to  still, 
And  make  our  own  our  Father's  will ! 

"  O,  thou  who  mournest  on  thy  way, 
With  longings  for  the  close  of  day  ! 
He  walks  with  thee,  that  angel  kind. 
And  gently  whispers, '  Be  resigned ; 
Bear  up,  bear  on  :  the  end  shall  tell, 
The  dear  Lord  doeth  all  things  well ! '  " 

It  was  a  strangely  pleasant  picture.  Her  countenance,  calmed 
and  elevated,  was  tinted  by  the  ruby  shine  of  the  flame,  that 
burned  more  steadily  in  the  partial  lull  of  the  storm.  The 
long,  old-fashioned  room  Avas  lined  with  a  double  row  of  ances- 
tral portraits,  keeping  watch  over  the  solitary  dreamer.  Her 
voice  is  musical,  her  elocution  good.  The  tableau  suited  my 
artistic  taste,  and  I  forbore  to  disturb  it. 

Elinor  surprises  me  daily  as  she  gains  in  ripeness  and  stamina 
of  character.     She  has  borne  enoigh  within  four  years  to  kill 


340  SUNNYBANK. 

a  (lozcQ  ordinary  women.  There  is  an  exceedingly  fine  and 
slender  wire,  of  Damascene  strength  and  elasticity,  running 
throuirh  her  nature,  that  defies  the  accumulation  of  sorrows 
heaped  upon  her.  Bend  she  may,  for  a  season,  like  a  willow 
before  the  gale  ;  but  the  inherent  power  of  spirit  and  mind  is 
not  impaired.  Against  my  will  I  perceive,  and  to  myself  I 
confess,  this ;  yet  the  growth  of  my  dislike  is  commensurate 
with  that  of  enforced  respect.  It  would  be  cowardly  to  retire 
from  the  field  because  my  opponent's  intellectual  calibre  is 
more  nearly  equal  to  mine  than  I  thought  when  I  gave  the 
challenge. 

My  heart  hardened  —  not  melted  —  within  me  at  the  scene  I 
have  described.  Leaving  her  to  quote  as  many  volumes  of 
Yankee  rhymes  as  she  liked,  I  turned  to  retrace  my  steps  to  my 
lonely  chamber,  when,  above  the  gathering  fury  of  the  tempest, 
I  distinguished  a  shout  at  the  outer  gate.  I  peered  through  the 
hall  window,  and  saw  a  lantern  move  over  the  lawn  from  old 
Will's  house,  remain  stationary  for  an  instant,  then  pass  toward 
the  stables.  A  sharp  knock  at  the  door  followed  ;  and  fancying 
I  had  recognized  the  tramp  upon  the  piazza,  I  turned  the  bolt, 
and  admitted  no  less  a  personage  than  Major  Kingston. 

Elinor  ran  out  of  the  parlor  at  the  sound  of  his  salutation 
to  me. 

"  We  are  very  glad  to  see  you  !  Are  you  wet  ?  Have  you 
letters?  "  cried  the  impulsive  innocent,  unconscious,  apparently, 
that  he  was  holding  her  hand  while  he  answered,  — 

"  I  am  a  little  wet ;  but  it  is  a  trifle." 

He  stepped  back  from  her,  and  unbuttoned  his  water-proof 
great-coat,  which  was  dripping  with  rain.  She  watched  his  seri- 
ous face  with  manifest  anxiety,  and  when  the  coat  was  hung  upon 
the  rack,  went  up  and  laid  her  trembling  hand  upon  his  sleeve. 

"  If  you  bring  bad  news,  tell  me  first,  and  quickly,"  she  said 
in  a  half-whisper.     "  Mamma  will  be  down  directly." 

"  Always  unselfish  !  "  —  smiling  down  at  her.  "I  have  no 
letters,  but  your  father  was  quite  well  yesterday ;  and  I  have 
little  that  is  new  to  tell  your  mother." 


SUNNYBANK.  341 

"  Is  this  sincere?" 

"  It  is." 

She  heaved  a  sigh  of  mingled  relief  and  disappointment,  and 
returned  to  the  subject  of  his  personal  comfort.  While  she  ran 
off  .to  order  a  fire  to  be  kindled  in  his  room,  I  was  left  with  him 
in  the  parlor. 

*'  You  must  contrive  to  give  me  an  hour's  conversation  with 
her  to-night,"  he  said,  hurriedly.  "  It  is  not  safe  to  postpone 
decisive  movements  any  longer." 

"  Wliat  has  happened? " 

"  Nothing  as  yet ;  but  sundry  things  threaten  us.  That  fox 
of  a  Copeland  is  pushing  his  impertinent  inquiries  in  every 
direction  ;  and  what  may  be  of  more  importance " 

My  Lady  interrupted  us.  Her  demeanor  was  slightly  dis- 
composed ;  but  she  welcomed  the  visitor  cordially. 

"  Elinor  tells  me  you  have  no  letters  for  us,  but  good  news 
of  Mr.  Lacy's  health.     When  did  you  see  him?  " 

"  Three  days  ago.  I  applied  for  admittance  yesterday,  but 
was  refused." 

"Ah  !  "  —  quickly.     "  Why  was  that  ?  " 

"  In  consequence  of  the  janitor's  whim,  I  suspect.  He  said, 
in  obedience  to  orders." 

"  And  you  disbelieved  him  ?  " 

"I  did,  Madam.  He  was  half-drunk,  and  surly  as  a  bear. 
I  shall  go  in  next  time,  if  I  have  to  get  a  pass  from  the  Presi- 
dent himself.  I  was  telling  Miss  Agatha,  when  you  came  in, 
of  joyful  intelligence  which  does  not  rest  on  any  uncertain  basis. 
A  general  exchange  of  prisoners  is  determined  upon,  and  will 
be  effected  within  a  few  weeks." 

My  Lady's  eyes  filled  with  happy  tears  ;  but  she  did  not  speak. 

"  You  have  brought  us  so  many  such  rumors ! "  I  com- 
plained, wearily.  "  This  may  be  no  more  reliable  than  the 
rest." 

"  The  Secretary  of  War  is  m^  authority  for  this  one,"  he 
rejoined,  quietly. 

I  longed  to  seize  and  throttle  him  until  I  should  be  assured 
29* 


342  SUNNYBANK. 

that  this  was  not  fiction,  invented  to  suit  his  selfish  ends.  I 
sat  perfectly  still  instead,  the  blood-red  tongues  of  fire  licking 
my  sight  into  blindness,  the  rush  and  roar  of  the  storm  seeming 
like  the  tumult  of  waves  in  which  I  was  drowning. 

Suddenly  some  words  of  my  Lady's  pierced  the  confusion.  . 

"  Will  they  be  ordered  back  immediately  to  service  ?  " 

"The  South  needs  them,  Madam.  I  believe,  however,  the 
rule  usually  adopted  in  such  cases  is  to  allow  them  a  month's 
furlough.  This,  I  understand,  is  the  custom  in  the  Yankee 
army.  The  tale  is,  that  they  want  men  quite  as  badly  as  we  do. 
But  for  the  unfeeling  policy  pursued  by  them  in  opposing  all 
reasonable  proposals  of  exchange,  our  thinned  ranks  would 
have  been  refilled  long  ago,  and  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy 
materially  changed." 

The  major  part  of  this  remark  was  directed  to  me,  my  in- 
terest in  the  fortunes  of  the  C.  S.  A.  being  supposed  to  exceed 
her  Ladyship's.  A  summons  to  supper  superseded  the  necessity 
of  a  reply. 

Our  meals  are  unfashionably  early  now,  and  very  tame  afifairs 
compared  with  the  jovial  family-parties  that  used  to  circle  the 
table.  Mrs.  Lacy  and  I  supported  the  heavy  end  of  the  conver- 
sational burden.  Elinor  was  subdued,  and  the  Major  distrait. 
His  appetite  was  indifferent ;  and  he  toyed  with  his  spoon  or  fork 
w^hen  his  hostess  was  most  urbane,  and  I  most  witty.  "We  re- 
turned to  the  dining-room  ;  and  thitherward  marched  my  Lady 
when  the  evening  orders  were  given  to  her  garrison,  and  the 
nightly  round  made  by  herself  and  her  sable  factotum,  old  Will. 
I  let  the  Major  undertake  the  business  of  ridding  himself  of 
her.     He  accomplished  it  summarily  and  graciously. 

"  I  am  afraid  to  promise  too  much,"  he  said  to  her  ;  "  but  I 
have  strong  hopes  of  being  able,  through  the  help  of  a  nameless 
friend,  to  smuggle  in  a  long  letter  to  Mr.  Lacy,  if  you  can  get 
one  ready  before  to-morrow  morning." 

"  I  will  write  it  to-night.  I^am  very  grateful  for  the  oppor- 
tunity," replied  the  pattern  wife,  thankfully. 

And  impatient  to  set  about  the   delightful   occupation,   she 


SUNNYBANK.  343 

tarried  with  us  for  the  briefest  possible  space  compatible  with 
civility.  The  strategist's  next  mana3uvre  was  to  send  me  to  the 
piano.  I  attacked  a  grand  sonata,  and  tore  it  to  atoms,  playing 
every  passage /or^e  and  ad  libitum  —  intent  only  upon  making  a 
noise  that  should  cover  the  advance  of  my  ally.  Without  the 
rest  of  a  half-bar,  I  dashed  off  into  a  march,  then  essayed  a 
polka  —  a  mad,  rollicking  thing  —  then  let  my  fingers  follow 
the  improvisation  of  jny  thoughts.  It  was  raining  in  torrents  ; 
the  wind  was  shrieking  and  groaning  like  a  legion  of  evil  spirits. 
But,  in  spite  of  piano-thunder  and  the  turmoil  of  the  elements, 
I  did  not  once  lose  the  sound  of  the  low  voices  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  room. 

I  had  queer  sensations  while  going  through  the  easy  part 
assigned  me  in  this  act  of  the  drama  I  had  helped  put  upon  the 
stage.  I  thought  of  another  rainy  Autumn  night,  when  other 
lips  had  pleaded  with  me  as  Rolfs  Avere  pleading  now  with  her 
he  had  loved  so  long  and  desperately;  of  battle-grounds,  and 
burial-trenches,  and  prison-pens,  with  slow  starvation  lying  in 
ghastly  ambush  for  those  who  had  escaped  the  more  merciful 
sword ;  of  manly  forms  and  faces  changing  into  the  similitude 
of  skeletons  and  grinning  skulls,  incrusted  w4th  dank  fungi, 
while  yet  a  feeble  glimmer  of  animal  life  remained  in  the  poor 
carcasses  ;  of  the  doomed  girl's  love  for  her  slain  betrothed,  and 
the  filial  piety  that  would  eventually  triumph  over  this  devotion 
to  a  bodiless  memory ;  of  the  imprisoned  father,  and  the  sons 
who  would  shortly  be  liberated  ;  of  their  return,  their  indigna- 
tion at  the  licensed  persecution  of  their  parent,  their  eager  hunt 
for  the  accessories  to  his  downfall ;  of  Lynn's  rapturous  greet- 
ings, and  his  possible  insistence  upon  a  speedy  marriage  —  all 
these  varied  and  apparently  incongruous  images  passed  in  pano- 
ramic march  before  me,  while  my  tireless  hands  swept  the  keys 
in  majestic  or  fantastic  movement,  unheeded  by  myself,  still  less 
by  the  absorbed  pair  at  the  fireside. 

Rolf  was  the  speaker  for  many  minutes,  interrupted  fre- 
quently, by  and  by,  by  exclamations  that  had  usually  in  them  a 
tone  of  pain,  always  of  expostulation.     After  a  pause  ensued  a 


344  SUNNTUANK. 

rapid  flow  of  entreaty,  argument,  dissuasive  reasonings  —  I 
judged  only  by  the  intonations  ;  but  these  were  most  expressive 

—  to  which  he  rendered  reply  in  a  few  strong  sentences.  An- 
other pause,  and  Elinor  again  ended  it.  This  time  I  caught  a 
word  here  and  there  —  twice  a  clause  made  up  of  several  words 

—  pointed  sharply  by  anger  or  amazement. 

"  When  I  tell  you  I  have  no  heart  to  give  — "  and  "  You 

do  not  know  what  you  ask." 

Did  he  not?  Had  he  perilled  honor,  reputation,  maybe  his 
life,  —  certainly  his  soul,  —  to  secure  the  consummation  of  an 
idle  dream?  When  the  cup  containing  the  coveted  pearl  — 
happiness  —  should  be  held  to  his  lips,  would  he  find  the 
draught  but  seething  vinegar?  He  held  his  ground.  There 
was  passion,  deep  and  concentrated,  in  every  tone  ;  but  resolu- 
tion, undaunted  and  inflexible,  pressed  closely  upon  it.  Entreat, 
v,?heedle,  scorn,  as  she  might,  it  was  but  the  breaking  of  the 
spray  upon  a  pitiless  reef.  Finally  the  door  closed,  and  I  knew 
the  battle  was  ended  in  one  way  or  the  other ;  I  was  still  in 
doubt  which.  I  played  on  perseveringly,  while  Rolf  strode 
heavily  from  end  to  end  of  the  parlor,  champing  his  mustache, 
his  brows  darkly  knitted,  and  eyes  bent  downward.  I  would 
not  interrupt  his  lucubrations,  and  at  last  he  came  to  a  stand- 
still. 

*'  For  Heaven's  sake,  stop  that  hateful  jingle ! "  he  said, 
roughly.     "  It  drives  me  distracted." 

"Very  well,"  I  responded,  obligingly,  breaking  oflT  in  the 
middle  of  a  strain.  "  You  asked  me  to  play.  Are  you  sure  it 
is  the  music  that  distracts  you?  " 

He  made  no  reply  until  he  had  traversed  his  "  beat"  twice 
more. 

"  I  wish  I  could  leave  her  alone  ! "  he  burst  forth,  impetu- 
ously. "  I  feel  like  a  murderer  when  I  think  of  the  wild, 
startled  look  of  her  eyes  as  I  repeated  the  story  I  have  been 
getting  ready  these  two  years." 

"Why  don't  you  'let  her  alone,'  then?"  I  asked,  artfully 
careless. 


SUNNYBANK.  345 

"  Because  I  have  vowed  to  win  her  ;  because  I  worship  her 
more  madly  this  hour  than  I  ever  did  before  ;  because  in  less 
than  two  months  she  will  be  my  wife." 

"  She  has  said  so  —  has  she  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  I  have  made  her  see  that  the  happiness  and  com- 
fort of  her  parents  depend  upon  her  doing  this.  I  have  told 
her  what  meshes  are  closing  about  her  father ;  that  his  estate 
is  already  marked  for  confiscation,  and  fearful  odds  arrayed 
against  his  life.  I  have  represented  to  her  my  relationship  to 
certain  great  powers  behind  the  throne,  and  the  certainty  that 
these  will  not  suffer  ignominy  to  fall  upon  one  connected,  how- 
ever remotely,  with  themselves.  I  have  engaged  to  purchase 
Sunnybank  and  the  appurtenances  thereof  of  the  Government, 
should  it  be  seized,  and  to  settle  it  upon  herself,  —  her  parents 
and  sister  still  to  reside  here,  —  until  her  father  or  brothers 
can  buy  it  back.  She  loves  the  old  homestead.  It  would  kill 
her  mother  to  leave  it,  and  she  loves  her  mother  better  than 
she  does  herself." 

"  Or  you?"  I  interposed,  mockingly. 

He  frowned  yet  more  grimly. 

"  Be  it  so.  But  she  does  not  dislike  me.  She  owns  that 
she  has  no  dearer  friend  than  I  have  grown  to  be.  She  may  — ^ 
she  must  —  learn  to  love  me  in  time.  I  will  so  adore  and 
cherish  her,  that  she  cannot  help  it.  Bad  as  I  am,  I  would  not 
marry  her  if  I  did  not  hope  to  make  her  happy  in  the  end." 

I  sneered  openly. 

"  Your  scruples  are  late  in  their  development.  You  have 
led  her  through  a  deal  of  trouble  in  order  to  secure  her  ultimate 
felicity." 

I  took  a  perverse  delight  in  aggravating  his  tortures.  He 
turned  upon  me  as  I  expected  he  would. 

"And  you  have  studied  to  promote  her  happiness  —  haven't 
you?" 

"  Never,  to  my  knowledge.  On  the  contrary,  finding  that  she 
stood  in  the  path  to  mine,  I  have  ridden  her  down  without  com- 
punction.     My  revenge   has  been  more  consistent  than  your 


346  SUNNYBANE. 

love.  But  a  truce  to  quarrelling.  "What  did  she  say  to  the 
neat  little  fiction  you  rehearsed  to  me  just  now?" 

"  Don't  ask  me." 

He  whirled  on  his  heel,  and  tramped  off  to  the  other  extrem- 
ity of  the  apartment,  I  sat  by  the  fire,  smiling  to  myself  in 
complacent  superiority  to  this  overgrown  school-boy,  who  was 
ready  to  relinquish  the  prize  he  had  toiled  and  panted  to  gain, 
because,  forsooth,  a  terrified  girl  had  turned  up  her  eyes  at 
him,  as  any  other  hunted  thing  might  have  done  if  driven  into 
a  corner. 

"  What  an  infernal  hubbub  the  wind  and  rain  keep  up  !  "  he 
said,  pettishly,  returning  to  the  hearth,  and  stooping  to  warm 
his  finders  before  the  scarlet  blaze.  He  looked  white  and  sick, 
and  not  in  the  least  like  a  confident  lover. 

"  This  is  a  brutal  busioess,"  he  resumed,  finding  I  did  not 
respond  to  his  complaint  of  the  weather.  "I  am  not  devoid  of 
feeling  and  conscience " 

"  Indeed  !  "  I  said,  incredulously.     "  Xow,  /  am." 

"  I  believe  you.  You  have  no  more  pity  for  the  sufferings 
of  one  of  your  own  sex  —  an  innocent,  lovely  girl,  who  has 
ever  treated  you  with  affectionate  kindness  —  than  if  you  were 
a  graven  image.     Yet  you  look  like  a  living  woman." 

"  It  is  said  to  be  wise  policy  to  praise,  not  revile,  the  bridge 
that  carries  one  safely  over,"  I  answered,  in  perfect  good  humor. 
"And,  although  our  formal  partnership  no  longer  exists,  I  am 
still  willing  to  aid  you  in  gaining  our  common  purpose.  I  am 
glad,  for  the  sake  of  our  success,  that  I  am  a  woman.  "Were 
we  both  men,  our  soft  hearts  would  be  our  ruin.  Be  sensible 
for  once,  Rolf,  and  teU  me  what  she  said,  and  what  is  to  be 
your  next  move." 

"  She  has  asked  for  a  week  in  which  to  consider  my  pro- 
posal." 

"  She  who  hesitates  is  lost,"  I  quoted,  encouragingly. 
"Well?" 

"  She  stipulates  that  her  mother  is  to  know  nothing  of  the 
dangers  which  threaten  her  father  and  the  estate." 


SUNNYBANK.  347 

"  Better  still,"  said  I,  seeing  I  must  coax^every  sentence  out 
of  his  mouth.  "  I  always  thought  she  would  some  day  display 
a  wondrous  genius  for  self-sacrifice.  You  see,  she  means  to 
practise  extravagance  of  generosity  —  not  only  to  immolate  her- 
self upon  the  altar  of  Jfilial  duty,  but  to  conceal  this  act  of 
extreme  self-denial  from  her  parents.  You  could  ask  nothing 
more  propitious.  You  will  be  received  into  the  family  without 
scruple,  enjoy  the  position  of  a  son-in-law  freely  elected  by  your 
divinity,  instead  of '* 

A  gesture  stopped  me. 

I  ought  to  have  felt  sorry  for  him  ;  for  he  was  really  under- 
going an  agony  of  conscientious  visitation.  The  probability  is, 
that,  if  any  other  woman  except  Elinor  Lacy  had  been  the 
object  of  his  love  and  the  cause  of  his  agony,  I  should  have 
been  moved.  As  it  was,  I  rather  enjoyed  the  spectacle,  and 
despised  him  all  the  while.  The  storm  had  reached  its  height. 
One  might  have  believed  that  the  ghosts  of  the  quaint  old 
ancestors  staring  at  us  from  the  wall  were  yelling  outside  —  try- 
ing to  get  at  us,  and  tear  us  limb  from  limb,  for  plotting  against 
one  of  the  chosen  race  ;  and  that  Uncle  Kohleborn  —  Undine's 
uncomfortable  relative  —  had  been  pressed  into  their  service,  so 
heavy  were  the  torrents  dashed  upon  roof  and  shutters. 

I  broke  the  silence  with  another  query. 

"  Is  it  true  that  there  is  to  be  a  general  exchange  of  prison- 
ers, or  did  you  improvise  the  story  to  suit  your  own  ends  ?  " 

"  I  repeated  what  was  told  me,  and  I  believe  it." 

''  Then  —  "I  began,  slowly. 

He  caught  me  up.  "  Then  we  had  best  lose  no  time.  Broth- 
ers have  a  voice  in  settling  the  question  of  a  favorite  sister's 
marriage.  Should  they  advocate  my  pretensions,  what  say  you 
to  a  double  wedding  ?  " 

His  disagreeable  smile  was  more  hateful  than  his  surliness 
had  been. 

''  I  have  nothing  to  say  in  the  matter,  —  being  a  woman  !  " 

Then  I  got  up,,  and  went  away  to  my  chamber  to  recover  my 
temper  —  a  work  of  time,  with  the  wind  growling  around  my 


348  SUNNYBANK. 

end   room,    and   the   rain   washing   between   the    sashes,   and 
my  nerves  all  out  of  tune. 

My  Lady  was  in  the  parlor  when  I  returned.  She  looked 
severely  at  me. 

"  I  found  Major  Kingston  with  no  company  besides  the  fire 
and  his  thoughts  !  " 

"  He  could  not  complain  of  the  lack  of  brilliant  society  then, 
Madam  !  "  I  retorted,  gayly.  "  I  ran  up  stairs  to  look  for  a 
paper  I  had  put  away  to  show  liim,  but  I  could  not  find  it.  I 
will  hunt  it  up  before  your  next  visit.  "When  are  we  to  expect 
you?" 

"  I  hope  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  again  in  about  a  week.  I 
must  ride  early  to-morrow  morning.  Madam,  setting  off  at  sun- 
rise.   I  shall  breakfast  at  my  brother's.    Is  your  letter  ready?  " 

She  produced  the  envelope  directed,  but  not  sealed.  He 
closed  it. 

"  Smuggled  letters  are  not  examined,"  he  smiled.  "  I  like 
to  cut  red  tape  whenever  I  can  without  chance  of  detection. 
Please  present  my  farewell  regards  to  Miss  Elinor  !  " 

He  shook  hands  with  us,  said,  "  Good  night,"  and  "  Good 
by,"  and  bowed  himself  gi'acefuUy  out  of  the  room. 

"  He  is  one  of  the  handsomest  men  I  ever  saw  ! "  said  my 
Lady,  approvingly.  I  responded  with  sisterly  readiness,  adding 
an  encomium  upon  his  mental  and  moral  worth  that  would  have 
electrified  the  subject  of  it,  had  he  been  at  the  keyhole.  We 
chatted  a  few  moments  longer,  in  delightful  accord,  of  his  nu- 
merous kindnesses  to  Mr.  Lacy  and  ourselves ;  his  high  repute 
in  the  army,  the  affection  between  himself  and  Lynn,  etc.  My 
Lady  is  not  the  victim  of  blind  prejudice.  If  I  had  not  over- 
heard Colonel  Copeland's  disparaging  insinuations  touching 
Rolf  and  myself,  I  should  never  have  surmised  from  her  language 
and  demeanor  that  they  had  been  made.  Her  manner,  last 
night,  was  very  friendly,  and  I  took  a  bold,  unauthorized  leap. 

"  Poor  Rolf!  "  I  said.  "  This  waste  of  one's  most  precious 
affections  is  a  sad  thing.  I  cannot  persuade  him  that  his  years 
of  steady  devotion  are  thrown  away.     I  have  imagined,  some- 


SUNNYBANK.  349 

times,  myself,  of  late,  that  he  might  yet  be  rewarded  by  the 
attainment  of  that  which  he  covets  most  fondly." 

"  He  is  not  in  love  with  Elinor  still  —  is  he  ?  "  blurted  out 
my  Lady,  in  undignified  astonishment.  "  I  hoped  that  was 
over  and  forgotten  !  " 

•'  So  did  I  ! "  I  responded.  "  He  says  his  love  has  never 
w^avered  for  a  second.  It  is  a  rare  case.  One's  first  passion  is 
seldom  the  choice  of  his,  or  her  more  mature  judgment,"  — 
smiling  and  coloring  as  I  avoided  her  eye. 

The  adroit  hint  that  complimented  her  son  may  or  may  not 
have  passed  unnoticed.  She  seemed  absorbed  in  another 
thought. 

"  I  am  grieved  to  hear  this  —  sadly  grieved  !  On  his  account, 
more  than  on  hers  !  " 

This  was  the  woman  whose  clearness  of  perception  people 
extol  as  almost  superhuman  !  A  she-bear's  instinct  of  danger 
overhano;inoj  her  cubs  would  have  been  a  safer  ";uide  than  her 
boasted  reason  and  knowledsre  of  the  world. 

"  Do  you  think  his  a  hopeless  case?"  I  asked,  pityingly. 

"  Elinor  will  never  marry  !  " 

I  smothered  the  glee  that  tempted  me  to  clap  my  hands  and 
shout  with  laughter. 

"  Yet  she  could  be  very  happy  with  Rolf!  "  I  said.  "  Pie  com- 
ported himself  nobly  under  her  refusal,  and  while  he  believed 
her  to  be  betrothed  to  another.  We  could  not  blame  him,  were 
he  to  renew  his  suit  now.  His  conduct  has  been  delicate  and 
honorable." 

"  It  has  !  I  esteem  him  too  truly  to  have  him  subjected  to 
another  dismissal,  and  she  will  never  accept  him." 

"  A  girl's  heart  is  a  deceitful  thing  !  "  I  ventured.  "  I  have 
fancied  recently,  as  I  said,  that  hers  was  inclining  toward  him. 
I  have  great  faith  in  '  the  expulsive  power  of  a  new  affection.' 
I  long  earnestly  to  see  Elinor  happy,  as  she  deserves  to  be." 

My  Lady  was  thoughtful.  My  fervent  manner  and  speech 
were  working  out  their  effect. 

"It  may  be  as  you  say,"  she  remarked,  at  length,  rising  to 
30 


350  SUNNYBANK. 

retire.  "  But  I  think  you  are  mistaken.  I  can  hardly  have 
been  so  far  wrong  in  my  judgment  of  my  own  child." 

"  It  is  the  nature  of  youth  to  forget  past  sorrows,"  I  ob- 
served, deprecatingly.  "  My  dear  Mrs.  Lacy,  you  would  not 
have  this  otherwise  !  " 

"  I  would  not !     But  Elinor's  is  not  an  ordinary  nature." 

I  chuckled  inwardly  in  bidding  her  "  good  night."  She  may 
alter  the  judgment  she  vaunted  so  pragmatically  ere  the  week 
is  completed.  Rolf  owes  me  another  excellent  turn  —  as  does 
Elinor,  although  I  am  not  likely  to  receive  the  thanks  of  either 
for  the  service.  I  have  not  convinced  my  Lady.  But  I  have 
broken  the  ice  —  made  her  daughter's  interesting  revelation 
more  easy  of  delivery,  and  more  intelligible  to  the  parent. 

Elinor  looks  badly  to-day.  Her  complexion  is  livid ;  her 
eyes  heavy  and  lustreless.  In  reply  to  Mamma's  solicitude,  she 
pleads  headache.  I  think  sometimes  that  women's  heads  never 
do  them  half  the  service  in  any  other  way  that  they  do  by  ach- 
ing. The  malady  is  a  plea,  the  convenience  of  which  is  not 
lessened  by  frequent  use,  and  one  which  everybody  is  bound  to 
credit,  while  everybody  is  aware,  that,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten, 
it  is  a  subterfuge  that  would  be  contemptible  were  it  not  in  uni- 
versal practice  among  our  sex.  My  Lady  watches  over  her 
offspring  as  a  mother-bird  might  tend  her  wounded  nursling. 
Perhaps  slumbering  instinct  has  awakened.  Will  it  warn  her 
not  to  open  her  arms  to  her  fascinating  son-in-law,  to  probe 
with  exceeding  nicety  the  inner  recesses  of  her  daughter's 
heart  when  she  declares  her  intention  of  putting  off  the  weeds 
of  widowhood  for  bridal  robes  ? 


SUNNYBANK.  351 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

ELINOR. 

December  6. 

"  I  WOULD  count  nothing  a  sacrifice  which  would  purchase 
his  release  or  acquittal ! "  said  Mamma  to  me,  this  morning,  in 
the  course  of  one  of  our  long  talks  about  Papa.  "  This  silence 
is  wearing  away  my  life !  And  I  am  helpless !  bound,  hand 
and  foot  —  when,  if  the  loss  of  my  right  hand  and  right  eye 
Avould  restore  him  to  his  home,  I  would  cut  off  the  one  and 
pluck  out  the  other  !  " 

She  has  practised  self-control  in  our  sight  so  long  and  so  suc- 
cessfully, that  when  her  strong,  earnest  nature  finds  vent  in 
words,  it  startles  and  impresses  me  as  some  gi'eat  convulsion  of 
ISTature  might  do.  I  sat  transfixed  —  gazing  at  the  dreariness 
of  longing  in  her  eyes,  the  quivering  nostril  and  tightening 
lips  ;  and  the  conviction  of  my  shameful  selfishness  flashed  upon 
me  with  a  vividness  that  appalled  me.  I  —  if  what  I  had  been 
told  were  true  —  I  could  end  this  living  death  —  could  give  her 
back  the  husband  she  worships,  restore  to  him  home,  wife, 
children,  liberty.  And  I  had  hung  back  !  had  accounted  the 
act  which  is  the  necessary  preface  to  these  glorious  results  a  sac- 
rifice too  costly,  a  deed  too  irksome,  for  the  weak  spirit  to  med- 
itate ! 

On  my  way  across  the  hall  from  her  room  to  mine,  I  met  a 
servant  with  a  letter  from  Rolf.  He  is  at  his  brother's,  and  he 
wrote  to  ask  when  he  might  come  to  me.  I  answered  at  the 
bottom  of  the  page,  "  To-morrow  morning  at  ten  o'clock,"  and 
returned  the  letter  to  the  bearer. 

So,  I  know  when  my  fate  will  be  sealed  —  how  long  it  will 


852  SUNNYBANK. 

be  laTd*ul  for  me  to  linger  loringlj  upon  the  memories  of  my 
dead  Past ;  for  how  long  a  time  I  may  still  think  of  myself  as 
Harry's  widow.  I  have  reviewed,  to-night,  those  portions  of 
ray  Journal  which  clironicle  the  earliest  days  of  our  betrothal. 
His  portrait  looked  up  at  me  from  every  leaf.  After  to-mor- 
row, I  may  not  allow  myself  this  sweet  yet  sad  indulgence.  I 
read  there,  among  other  girlish  musings,  a  dissertation  upon  a 
nun's  life,  springing  out  of  a  playful  remark  of  Agatha's  in 
which  she  called  me  "little  nun."  In  the  wiser  meditations 
of  the  care-weary  woman,  I  could  ask  no  happier  destiny  now, 
than  to  be  permitted  to  live  single  for  the  rest  of  my  days,  de- 
voting ray  thoughts  and  energies  to  the  service  of  the  parents 
to  whom  I  owe  everything  of  earthly  weal  tliat  mortals  can 
•secure.  Harry's  picture  lies  by  me,  and  near  it  the  faded,  black- 
ened sprig  of  orange-flowers  over  which  we  plighted  our  troth. 

"  I  shall  never  give  you  up  till  you  send  this  back  to  me  !  " 
he  said. 

I  know  that  the  companion-spray  was  ci'imsoned  by  the  blood 
that  welled  out  with  his  heart's  last  sigh  ;  that,  if  in  that  swift 
passage  from  Time  to  Eternity,  he  had  space  for  a  thought  of 
the  world  he  was  leaving,  ray  name  arose  to  his  lips  with  the 
red  tide.  I  can  never  "  send  this  back."  But,  to-night,  I  shall 
seal  it  up  with  his  likeness  and  his  few  precious  letters,  and  put 
them  away  to  be  burned  upon  my  marriage-day.  My  marriage 
—  and  with  another  than  Harry  !  I  do  not  writhe  in  keen 
anguish  at  the  suggestion.  I  am  amazed  at  my  coherence  of 
thought  and  firmness  of  purpose.  But  for  the  dull  misery  far 
down  in  ray  heart,  I  might  beguile  myself  into  the  belief  that 
much  weighing  of  the  possibility,  and  latterly  the  certainty  of 
the  event,  had  divested  it  of  the  power  to  terrify.  The  finer 
nerves  of  my  spirit  are  numbed.  Is  this  exaltation  above  self, 
or  is  it  apathy  ?  Had  Harry  lived,  my  first  duty  would  have 
been  to  him.  Next,  and  now  chief  of  all  earthly  obligations, 
come  those  to  my  parents.  Secondary  only  to  these  stands  ray 
debt  of  gratitude  to  him,  who,  since  the  captivity  of  ray  broth- 
ers, has  been  son  and  brother  to  parents  and  to  daughter  ;  who 


SUNNYBANK.  853 

has  befriended  us  through  evil  report  steadfastly  as  when  we 
basked  in  the  noontide  of  prosperity ;  who  has  endangered  his 
own  reputation  in  the  eyes-  of  his  compeers  by  his  efforts  in 
behalf  of  a  proscribed  family ;  who  prays  now  to  link  his  for- 
tunes with  ours,  earnestly  as  if  honor  and  advancement  to  him 
were  to  be  the  consequence  of  the  union. 

Can  I  err  with  these  considerations  spread  out  fairly  before 
me  ?  Could  my  path  have  been  defined  more  plainly  had  an 
audible  voice  from  Heaven  proclaimed  to  me,  "Walk  in  it"? 
In  my  happier  days  I  could  not  have  wrought  upon  my  inclina- 
tions to  consent  to  this  course  —  but  in  the  shadow  of  the 
"  needed  cloud,"  resolution  has  strengthened  into  might  of  will 
—  inclination  waxed  feeble.  It  is  bast  so.  "  God  always  gives 
us  light  enough  to  see  the  next  step."  I  discern  mine  beyond 
the  peradventure  of  mistake.  I  am  thankful  I  do  not  lack  the 
strength  to  take  it. 

December  8. 

Rolfs  furlough  was  short.  He  left  us  tliis  morning  to  rejoin 
his  regiment.  He  brought  us  a  pencilled  note  from  Papa,  se- 
cretly conveyed  outside  the  prison  by  one  of  the  turnkeys.  He 
is  brave  and  hopeful  still.  Nothing  man  can  do,  can  daunt  him, 
for  his  "  heart  is  fixed." 

Before  going,  Rolf  had  a  conversation  with  Mamma.  It  was 
his  wish  and  mine  that  he  should  impart  to  her  the  news  of  our 
engagement.  She  was  less  surprised  than  I  had  anticipated, 
and  this  has  made  it  easier  and  more  pleasant  for  me.  She  is 
ignorant  —  so  we  arranged  it  should  be  —  of  any  benefit  which 
is  likely  to  accrue  to  herself  from  this  alliance.  Had  she  sus- 
pected the  truth  in  this  regard,  her  interview  with  me  would 
have  been  marked  by  searching  questions  I  would  have  found 
it  difficult  to  parry,  her  consent  to  Rolf  been  less  promptly 
given.  To  me,  and  I  doubt  not  to  him,  she  was  kiad  and  affec- 
tionate. She  spoke  of  her  love,  gratitude,  and  respect  for  our 
new  protector  —  not  a  new  one,  either  —  although  but  now  for- 
mally acknowledged  in  his  true  character. 
30* 


354  SUNNYBANK. 

"  He  has  won  us  all,  it  seems  !  "  she  said,  smiling  ;  and  then 
followed  a  sigh. 

I  hastened  to  remind  her  that  I  was  not  to  leave  her  —  that 
the  dear  old  roof-tree  would  still  shelter  us  all,  one  family.  1 
told  her,  moreover,  that  Rolf  was  sanguine  of  Papa's  acquittal 
and  return  to  us  ere  long.  I  did  not  attempt  gayety  ;  but  there 
was  no  occasion  for  me  to  feign  tranquillity. 

"You  are  entirely  satisfied,  then,  love?"  asked  Mamma, 
putting  away  the  hair  from  my  forehead — Papa's  own  gesture 
— and  reading  my  eyes  with  hers  —  deep,  loving,  penetrating. 

"  Quite  content,"  I  answered.  "  And  when  Papa  is  restored 
to  us,  I  shall  be  very  happy.  Rolf  is  thoroughly  good  and 
faithful.  Mamma.  He  deserves  all  I  can  do  to  promote  his 
happiness." 

"  He  is  all  that  you  say,  dear  child  ;  but  he  should  not  have 
my  Brownie  if  she  did  not  love  him  —  did  not  elect  him  of  her 
own  free  will  and  accord  to  the  master's  place  in  her  heart." 

"  Never  fear,"  I  said,  stoutly.  "  He  knows  Avhat  his  stand- 
ing is ;  and  if  he  desires  no  liigher,  no  one  else  has  a  right  to 
complain." 

She  smiled  again,  and  released  me.  Yet  I  had  a  passing 
fear  that  she  was  not  altogether  convinced  of  my  sincerity.  I 
have  detected  her  watching  me  many  times  since  with  loving 
anxiety ;  and  on  these  occasions  I  have  studied  to  assume  a 
calm,  pleasant  demeanor,  to  talk  freely  with  those  about  me,  — 
above  all,  not  to  yield  to  abstraction.  I  am  not  depressed. 
There  is  more  room  for  thankfulness  than  for  sadness  in  my 
heart,  although  I  am  of  necessity  thoughtful.  Rolf  has  be- 
haved nobly  throughout  the  affair.  His  bearing  to  myself,  in 
private  and  in  the  presence  of  others,  was  characterized  by 
respect  and  delicacy  that  enhanced  my  regard  for  him.  He 
made  no  demands  upon  my  affection,  he  said,  beyond  what  I 
could  freely  render.  He  but  asked  the  privilege  of  teaching 
me  to  care  for  him  as  he  would  have  me  do.  In  all  his  sketched 
arrangements  for  the  future  we  are  to  share  was  visible   the 


SUNNYBANK.  355 

same  tlioughtful  attention  to  my  testes,  my  wishes,  my  comfort, 
and  that  of  those  I  love. 

We  are  to  be  married  early  in  January.  Mamma  was  star- 
tled at  the  early  date ;  but  Rolf  says,  with  reason,  that  these 
are  not  the  days  for  needless  formalities,  for  conventional  delays. 
He  pleaded  to  her  the  uncertainties  of  a  soldier's  life  ;  the 
chances  that  he  may  be  ordered  away,  perhaps  out  of  the  state, 
and  be  unable  to  return  for  many  months  ;  and,  lastly,  the  years 
during  which  he  has  loved  and  waited  for  me.  To  me,  he 
spoke  of  our  unprotected  situation,  and  the  guard  his  name 
would  be  when  we  should  be  visited  by  Confederate  troops. 
However  unfavorably  they  might  regard  Mamma,  as  the  wife 
of  one  notoriously  unfriendly  to  their  cause,  they  would  treat  her 
with  all  respect  as  the  mother-in-law  of  one  of  their  own  officers. 
I  acquiesced  passively  in  his  reasoning.  Thirty  days,  or  thirty 
years,  cannot  remove  the  past  farther  beyond  the  reach  of  hope 
than  it  is  to-day.  It  is  well  that  I  should,  by  one  irrevocable 
act,  make  the  backward  glance  impossible,  because  criminal. 
I  have  shut  the  door  very  firmly :  this  will  bar  it  forever. 
I  have  few  preparations  to  make.  Rolf  hinted  at  a  needfal 
trip  to  town ;  but  the  thought  was  so  repugnant  to  me,  that 
Mamma  has  written  to  Aunt  Dana  to  make  such  purchases  as 
she  deems  necessary.  I  must  lay  off  my  mourning  garments 
so  soon  as  I  can  procure  others. 

I  spoke  of  this,  last  evening,  to  Rolf,  as  we  were  strolling  in 
the  yard. 

"  For  the  present,"  I  said,  "  I  have  nothing  else  to  wear." 

"  Do  as  you  think  best,"  he  answered.  "  I  can  never  love 
you  better  in  any  other  dress  than  I  do  in  that  you  have  on  this 
moment." 

We  were  passing  the  holly-hedge  as  he  spoke,  and  he  plucked 
several  clusters  of  the  leaves  and  berries,  which  he  brought 
into  the  house.  With  silk  from  my  work-basket,  he  bound 
these  into  a  chaplet,  and  laid  it  upon  my  head. 

"  It  is  an  emblem  of  the  love  that  glows  most  freshly  in  the 


356  SUXNYBANK. 

winter  of  adversity,"  he  said,  playfully,  leading  me  up  to  the 
mirror. 

For  the  sake  of  this  thought,  I  let  the  wreath  lie  where  he 
had  put  it,  and  tried  to  forget  that  the  sight  of  the  sharp  leaves 
and  the  red  drops  had  put  me  in  mind  of  a  crown  of  thorns. 

I  sent  a  letter  to  Papa,  telling  him  of  the  new  life  appointed 
me',  and  asking  his  blessing  upon  it.  It  will  not  be  withheld. 
His  affection  for  me  had  never  a  tinge  of  selfishness.  I  would 
remember  this. 


SUNNYBANK.  357 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

AGATHA. 

January  1,  1865. 

Those  who  associate  bridals  with  orange-wreaths,  white 
satin,  Brussels  lace,  and  trunks  full  of  embroidered,  braided, 
and  tucked  lingerie,  would  stare  aghast  at  the  modest  outfit 
which  now  engages  the  fingers  of  the  feminine  portion  of  the 
household. 

About  the  middle  of  December,  there  arrived  from  Rich- 
mond, in  charge  of  a  military  escort  detailed  by  Major  Kings- 
ton, a  box  of  dry-goods,  selected  by  Mrs.  Dana  from  the  very 
insufficient  supplies  of  the  Richmond  stores. 

*'  Fortunately,"  wrote  Mrs.  Dana,  "  a  blockade-runner  passed 
the  Yankees  safely  the  other  day  with  a  cargo  of  foreign  goods  ; 
and  happening  to  hear  of  the  arrival  within  a  few  hours  after 
they  reached  the  city,  I  hastened  down  town  to  secure  an  early 
choice  of  the  valuable  articles.  But  for  this  opportune  event, 
Nellie  would  have  had  a  scanty  trousseau." 

It  was  curious  and  instructive  to  read  the  list  of  prices  accom- 
panying the  case  of  haberdashery.  For  instance :  One  piece 
cotton  cloth  for  under-clothing,  containing  thirty-seven  yards, 
one  thousand  dollars  ;  two  pairs  gaiters,  one  hundred  and  forty 
apiece ;  one  dozen  white  cotton  stockings,  two  hundred  and 
fifty ;  one  calico  dress-pattern,  three  hundred ;  one  de  laine, 
four  hundred  and  fifty  ;  and  so  on.  There  was  a  pleasurable 
excitement  in  tumbling  over  new  goods,  however  inferior  in 
quality  to  what  we  should  have  thought  fit  for  our  wear  in  the 
corrupt  former  times  ;  and  while  my  Lady  and  I  di^agged  them 
out,  fingered  and  discussed  them,  enjoying  as  a  favorite  perfume 


358  SUXXYBA^'K. 

of  those  olden  days  the  peculiar  odor  of  fresh,  unhandled 
fabrics,  a  ring  of  ebony  faces  surrounded  the  box  and  us,  at  a 
respectful  distance,  agape  with  delighted  curiosity. 

"  I  had  no  especial  trousseau"  said  my  Lady,  retrospectively. 
"  I  was  married  upon  forty-eight  hours'  notice." 

"  That  accounts  for  your  consent  to  the  brevity  of  this  en- 
gagement," I  replied.  "  Long  betrothals  are  an  invention  of 
the  enemy  of  human  happiness." 

"  I  have  kno^v^l  some  that  terminated  happily  ;  but  the  pro- 
portion of  these  to  the  whole  number  is  not  large,"  was  the 
reply  —  an  incautious  one,  for  Elinor's  head  went  lower  and 
lower  over  a  box  of  handkerchiefs  she  was  counting. 

My  Lady,  too,  observed  and  felt  this  the  next  second  ;  but  it 
could  not  be  mended.  In  her  consistent  habit  of  thrusting  sly 
]  ins  into  me  at  every  turn,  she  had  touched  her  darling's  sore  ; 
and  I  was  woman  enough  to  relish  the  accident.  This  is  the 
solitary  occasion  upon  which  I  have  marked  any  evidence  of 
sensitiveness  in  Elinor  on  the  score  of  her  former  ill-starred 
betrothal.  Yet  I  scrutinize  her  narrowly.  Whether  chatting 
with  her  mother  and  myself  as  we  ply  our  needles  by  the  fire- 
side from  morn  till  eve,  from  eve  until  our  country  bed-time,  or 
f.ssisting  in  the  simple  domestic  duties  that  devolve  upon  the 
ladies  of  the  family,  or  hearing  Carrie's  lessons,  or  reading  her 
lover's  tri-weekly  epistles,  she  carries  the  same  serene  front. 
Her  voice  does  not  waver  a  semitone  toward  a  pensive  key. 
She  does  not  shrink  from  allusions  to  the  approaching  nuptials, 
or  hesitate  to  join  in  the  praises  of  the  gallant  bridegroom  as 
chanted  by  the  conclave  of  maids,  and  less  boisterously  by  their 
luistress  and  her  white  bondAvoman.  Even  the  great,  sad  eyes 
are  no  more  dreamy  ;  neither  are  they  restless.  They  survey 
the  coming  fate  with  steadiness  born  of  invincible  resolve.  In 
a  monosyllable,  she  is  "  game."  In  the  very  far  back  times, 
concerning  which  Solomon  was  at  least  half  right  in  pronoun- 
cing them  to  be  no  better  than  these,  they  used  to  manufacture 
martyrs  out  of  such  stuff  as  this  whilom  spoiled  baby  is  show- 
ing herself  to  be  made  of.     I  find  myself  softening  perceptibly 


SUNNYBANK.  859 

from  the  rigor  of  my  hate,  the  acerbity  of  my  spite.  When 
she  is  once  Mrs.  Kingston,  I  expect  to  grow  positively  sisterly 
-in  my  sentiments  and  behavior.  Why  shouldn't  I?  Isn't  she 
going  to  do  the  identical  thing  I  have  meant  she  should  since  I 
discovered  Rolfs  mad,  determined  passion  for  her?  and  in 
doing  it,  to  render  herself  miserable  as  my  best  —  by  best 
meaning  most  energetic — wishes  in  her  behalf  could  have  made 
her,  had  each  been  accomplished  fast  as  it  was  conceived? 
What  more  could  an  unreasonable  rival  want  ?  And  I  am 
rational  to  a  proverb. 

We  had  one  funny  scene  last  week.  The  long  parlor  is  the 
warmest  and  lightest  room  in  the  house  at  this  season,  and  we 
sew  there  constantly  without  dread  of  being  disturbed  by  com- 
pany. It  was  early  in  the  afternoon.  I  was  hemming  a  ruffle, 
my  Lady  binding  one  skirt,  and  Elinor  sewing  up  the  seams  of 
another,  about  one  window ;  and  Rachel,  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor,  was  fairly  "snowed  under"  by  heaps  of  white  stuff, — 
Avhen  enter  to  us,  in  awful  parade,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  King- 
ston and  Miss  Hetty  Stratton. 

The  haughty  Ross  blood  —  hotter  as  haughtier  than  the  Lacy 
—  leaped  to  the  brow  of  mother  and  daughter,  aroused,  I  im- 
agine, less  by  the  tardiness  of  this  ceremonious  visit  than  by 
the  insolent  condescension  expressed  in  the  visages  of  the  three. 
Miss  Hetty  frisked  before  the  married  pair,  her  lean  arms  ex- 
tended like  the  attenuated  frame  of  a  windmill,  and  clasped 
Elinor  to  her  very  tight  zone  with  such  vehemence  I  listened  to 
hear  her  lacings  crack. 

"  You  naughty,  precious,  wicked,  dearest,  silly,  blessed  dar- 
ling ! "  she  clattered,  kissing  the  top  of  the  brown  head,  that 
"ducked"  instinctively  as  the  salute  was  aimed  at  her  lips. 
"  And  you  are  really  converted,  and  are  going  to  join  the  com- 
pany of  the  elect !  Don't  talk  to  me  aJbout  the  age  of  miracles 
being  past,  as  I  said,  not  ten  seconds  ago,  to  Mary,  here,  if 
one  of  the  Lacy  tribe  has  come  over  to  the  right  side.  '  I 
don't  despair,'  said  I  to  James,  '  of  seeing  the  father  himself 
a  good  loyalist  yet,  if  the  right  means  are  used.'     You  must 


360  SUNNYRANK. 

know,  my  dear  Mrs.  Lacy,  we  count  greatly  upon  our  dear  Rolf's 
influence.  He  is  perfectly  irresistible,  as  somebody  besides  his 
foolish  Auntie  has  found  out,"  —  squeezing  Elinor  around  the 
waist ;  *'  and  whatever  he  sets  out  to  do,  he  will  do.  I  mean  to 
make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  James.  As  I  have  remarked,  at  the 
lowest  calculation,  one  million  times,  frankness  between  friends 
is  the  only  safe  rule.  So  when  Rolf  told  us  he  was  really, 
and  actually,  ayid  truly  going  to  be  married,  I  said  to  him " 

"  Excuse  me.  Miss  Hetty,  for  dissenting  from  your  proposi- 
tion," said  my  Lady,  decidedly.  "  I  think  that  candor,  in  many 
cases,  is  unkind  and  injurious  to  our  friends  and  ourselves. 
Mrs.  Kingston,  will  you  not  take  this  seat?  It  is  warmer  in 
this  corner.     We  are  having  a  cold  winter,  Mr.  Kingston." 

"  Very,"  replied  the  relieved  James,  who  had  been  casting 
forbidding  glances  at  his  volatile  Aunt  ever  since  she  opened 
her  mouth. 

"  Bitter,  bitter !  "  cried  Miss  Hetty,  hitching  up  her  bony 
shoulders.  "  I  can't  sleep  at  night  for  thinking  and  weeping 
over  our  brave  soldiers,  lying  upon  the  bare  ground,  or  on  heaps 
of  prickly  pine-brush,  and  toasting  their  poor,  chilblainy  feet  by 
the  watch-fires,  while  their  pampered,  dissolute,  cowardly  op- 
pressors       But,  there  !  as  I  say  with  every  other  breath, 

where  is  the  use  of  talking  !  I  declare,  as  I  proclaimed,  openly, 
to  our  sewing-circle  —  our  "  Soldiers'  Timely  Relief,"  you  know 
—  I  am  ready  to  rob  myself  of  my  best  blanket  for  the  dear, 
valiant  darlings'  sakes  !  Rachel,  don't  clear  those  things  away  : 
I  haven't  seen  a  scrap  of  anything  except  homespun  for  so  long, 
it  does  my  eyes  good  to  rest  upon  those  pretty  articles." 

"  Take  them  into  the  dining-room,  Rachel,"  commanded  her 
mistress.  "  Miss  Hetty  can  examine  them  there.  Agatha, 
will  you  go  with  her  ?  " 

To  the  dining-room  ^we  proceeded,  pursuant  to  directions. 
Rachel  "  dumped "  her  load  upon  the  table,  and  throwing  an 
askant  and  venomous  gleam  at  us,  flounced  out  of  the  door, 
banjrinsr  it  after  her. 

Miss  Hetty  jumped  almost  out  of  her  shoes  at  the  concussion. 


SUNNYBANK.  361 

"  I  say,"  she  whispered,  "  did  you  ever  know  the  beat  of  this  ?  '* 

"  It  is  a  nice  article,"  I  said,  wilfully  stupid,  taking  hold  of 
the  other  end  of  the  muslin,  pinched  between  her  thumb  and 
forefinger  as  if  she  would  nip  a  shred  out. 

'*  Pah  !  I  don't  mean  this  ;  although  it  is  a  fair  quality,  and 
I  only  wish  loyal  people  could  get  half  as  good.  If  I  had  my 
way,  no  Yankee  lover  should  have  so  much  as  a  rag  of  clothing, 
or  a  pint  of  meal.  But  this  match  is  the  very  oddest  thing ! 
Rolf  Kingston  —  handsome,  and  rich,  and  distinguished  —  to 
throw  himself  away,  when  he  might  marry  the  President's 
daughter,  if  he  had  one  old  enough  —  w^hich  he  hasn't,  bless  his 
soul !  Rolf  to  throw  himself  literally  away  upon  this  traitor- 
ous little  doll,  that  don't  come  up  to  my  elbow !  I  say  it  is  a 
scandalous  shame ! " 

How  I  thought  of  the  strained  patrician  blood  of  the  lady- 
mother,  and  wished  she  were  near  enough  to  hear  this ! 

"  But  it's  no  use  talking  to  these  men !  If  the  country  is 
saved,  it  wdll  be  owing  to  the  pluck  of  the  women  —  their  pluck 
and  their  prayers  !  " 

Association  with  the  "  dear  fellows  "  has  imparted  an  agree- 
able zest  of  slang  to  Miss  Hetty's  conversation. 

"  As  I  have  remarked  repeatedly  to  numerous  ladies  of  my 
acquaintance,  we  have  upheld  the  Confederacy  with  the  points 
of  our  needles  more  than  the  men  have  with  their  bayonets." 

"  A  bright  idea  !  "     I  applauded  the  hon-mot. 

"Yes,  my  dear  —  it  has  been  universally  complimented. 
Now,  there's  James  Kingston,  who  dare  not  say  his  soul  is  his 
own,  when  Rolf  disagrees  with  him.  Between  you  and  me, 
Rolf  has  made  a  fortune  by  the  war.  What  with  speculations 
in  gold,  and  tobacco,  and  government  stocks,  he  is  ten  times 
richer  than  when  he  went  into  the  army ;  and  they  do  say  he 
has  done  the  Government  secret  service,  that  gives  him  a  hold 
upon  it ;  and  this,  with  his  being  nephew  to  one  of  the  head 
men  in  the  concern,  and  first  cousin  to  another,  is  enough  to 
make  him  a  distinguished  character  —  and  yet  he  is  about  to 
ruin  himself  by  a  misalliance.  Said  I,  '  James  Kingston  I 
31 


362  SUNNYBANK. 

is  the  boy  bent  upon  suicide  ?  And  will  you  stand  by  and  see 
him  destroy  himself? '  But  James  is  poor.  He  has  lost  next 
to  everything.  All  he  is  sure  of  is  the  money  he  has  invested 
in  Confederate  bonds.  I  have  put  every  cent  I  own  in  them  — 
for,  said  I,  '  What's  the  use  of  land  unless  you  have  negroes 
and  stock  to  work  it  ?  '  The  Yankees  don't  leave  a  hoof,  nor  a 
horn,  nor  a  woolly  head  behind  them  that  they  can  carry  off. 
Rolf  laid  his  orders  upon  his  brother,  the  last  time  he  was  at 
home,  that  he  was  to  bring  his  wife  over  and  play  the  pleased 
relation  to  Miss  Brown-face.  And  when  the  trial  comes  off,  — 
if  I  am  called  into  court,  which  isn't  likely,  he  says,  —  I  am  to 
'modify  my  evidence.'  As  if  I  would  perjure  myself!  But 
Rolf  has  an  awful  temper  when  his  blood  is  up.  You  ought  to 
have  heard  him  blaze  out  at  me  when  I  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him  in  the  gentlest  possible  manner  from  this  fatal  step  !  '  A 
good  -  as  -  convicted-  and-  condemned  -  and  -who -knows  -but- 
what  -  executed  -  for  -  high  -  treason  traitor  for  a  father-in-law  ! ' 
I  represented,  mildly.  '  Hold  your  vile  tongue  ! '  says  he. 
*  I  would  marry  Elinor  Lacy,  if  her  father  had  been  hanged  for 
sheep-stealing,  and  both  her  brothers  transported  for  house- 
breaking !  If  you  want  me  ever  to  own  any  of  you  again,  you 
had  better  pay  proper  respect  to  her  and  her  mother ! '  Such 
infatuation  I  have  never  conceived  of!  We  had  to  effect  a 
change  of  base  immediately.  He  had  flanked  us  by  a  broadside, 
and  here  we  are,  with  conditions  of  truce  upon  our  tongues  and 
unconditional  hostilities,  the  black  flag,  and  no  quarter,  and  all 
that,  rankling  in  our  hearts  !  " 

"  Dear  me  !  "  I  said.     "  How  uncomfortable  you  must  be  I  " 
This  was  no  mere  phrase  of  condolence ,»for  she  was  obliged 
to  settle  her  teeth  with  both  thumbs,  before  she  could  articulate 
another  syllable. 

"  Such  a  mercenary,  basely  interested  scheme  on  their 
part!"  she  pursued.  "To  think  of  their  playing  upon  his 
sympathy  until  he  was  beguiled  into  making  an  offer,  and  then 
catching  it  up,  and  naming  the  earliest  possible  day,  for  fear  he 
might  repent  of  his   rashness  !     Oh  !  the  impudence   and  un- 


SUNNYBANK.  363 

principledness  of  this  world  !  And  to  cap  tlie  climax,  the  talk 
is  now  that  the  arch-traitor  —  that  Benedict  Iscariot  and  Judas 
Arnold,  the  father,  will  be  released  on  parole  —  his  trial  be 
indefinitely  postponed,  which  means  that  it  may  never  come  off. 
If  /  were  the  President's  wife,  he  should  guard  the  public  peace 
better  than  to  allow  such  iniquity  to  walk  rampart "  (ram- 
pant?) "through  the  land." 

"  "W^hat  a  pity  you  are  not !  "  I  returned.  "  I  have  not  had 
a  chance  until  now  to  thank  you  for  not  mentioning  my  name 
at  the  trial." 

"  I  had  my  orders,  child  !     Rolf  ordered  me  —  at  least  fifty 
times  not  to  let  it  slip  that  I  had  ever  opened  my  lips  to  you 
about  the  spy.     He  said  it  would  make  my  testimony  worth-' 
less,  if  I  did." 

She  is  more  vain  of  her  appearance  in  court,  and  the  evidence 
there  given  in,  than  of  any  other  event  in  her  life. 

"  I  couldn't  begin  to  repeat  the  compliments  that  have  been 
passed  upon  my   conduct    on  that    ever-memorable    day.       A 

friend  of  mine  told  me  that  General  B remarked  privately 

to  some  one  near  him,  '  That  woman  is  a  second  Charlotte 
Bronte  ! '  (Corday  ?)  '  If  I  had  an  army  like  her,  I  would  be- 
siege Washington  in  three  days  —  sue  for  an  armistice  in  a 
month ! ' " 

"  How  people  lie  !  "  I  said,  indignantly.  "  The  story  going 
the  rounds  is  that,  at  the  last  Yankee  raid,  you  crawled  into  a 
cuddy-hole  in  the  garret,  and  staid  there  until  they  had  gone ; 
that  you  had  to  leave  your  hoop-skirt  outside,  and  they  carried 
it  off  at  the  head  of  the  column  as  a  trophy,  elevated  upon  a 
bean-pole  ! " 

She  grew  so  angry  I  was  convinced  the  tale  had  a  truthful 
foundation. 

"  How  any  accountable  human  being  can  wilfully  defame  an 
innocent  neighbor,  is  too  mysteriously  wicked  for  me  to  com- 
prehend. It's  a  dreadful  sin  to  take  away  one's  character. 
But  if  slanderers  and  gossips  don't  get  paid  off  here,  they  will 
be  come  up  with  hereafter.     That's  a  consolation  !  " 


3G4  SUNNYBANK. 

"  It  must  be  to  you  !  "  with  commendable  gravity.  "  Hadn't 
we  better  go  back  to  tlie  parlor  now  ?  " 

"  Wait  a  minute  !  " 

She  fell  to  work,  pulling  over  the  half-made  garments,  exam- 
ining, criticising,  and  questioning.  In  the  midst  of  this,  Rachel 
reentered,  thinking,  doubtless,  that  we  had  finished  our  inspec- 
tion.    Miss  Hetty  attacked  her  forthwith. 

"  Well,  Rachel !  what  do  you  say  to  tins  notion  of  your 
jroung  mistress  ?  " 

"  All  Miss  Elinor's  notions  are  good  ones  ! "  answered  the 
woman,  shortly,  folding  up  the  scattered  clothing. 

"  But  you  were  so  fond  of  her  old  beau  —  and  you  are  such 
terrible  Unionists  here  —  it  can't  be  pleasant  to  you  to  have  her 
marry  a  Confederate  officer." 

"  She  wouldn't  do  nothing  that  wasn't  right !  If  she's  satis- 
fied, we  ain't  got  never  a  word  to  say." 

"  You  don't  object  to  Major  Kingston  as  a  master,  then?" 

Rachel  dropped  the  gown  she  was  busy  with,  and  crossed  her 
ai'ms. 

"  My  master's  name  is  Lacy,  and  the  'Federates  has  locked 
him  up  in  prison  because  he  was  upright  and  eschewed  evil. 
The  old  Satan  got  holt  of  Job  the  same  way.  But  I  belong  to 
Mr.  Lacy  and  his'n.  When  he  tells  me  to  call  another  man 
*  IMaster,'  I  will  do  it  —  not  till  then  !  " 

"But  don't  you  know,  you  stupid  thing  !  that  if  they  prove 
him  to  be  a  traitor,  you  and  everything  else  belonging  to  him 
will  go  to  the  Government  ?  "  Miss  Hetty  lost  the  last  spark 
of  discretion  in  her  wrath  at  the  servant's  unexpected  rejoinder. 
*'  You  won't  have  the  choice  then,  of  a  master." 

"  Maybe  not.  The  wicked  walk  on  every  side  when  the 
vilest  men  are  exalted.  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  her 
master,"  rejoined  Rachel,  unmoved.  "  When  that  day  comes, 
I  belong  to  nobody  'cept  the  Lord  !  " 

"  Which  means  she  will  rim  away  to  the  Yankees  !  "  said 
Miss  Hetty,  as  the  victorious  Rachel  marched  out  again,  her 


SUNNYBANK.  365 

arms  full  of  work.     "  If  I  were  Rolf,  I  would  never  rest  until 
the  entire  lot  was  sold  off  South  !  " 

"  You  talk  of  confiscation  and  a  change  of  owners  !  "  I  re- 
joined, nettled  at  her  coarseness.  "  You  forget  the  loyal 
sons !  " 

"  Who  nobody  believes  will  ever  come  home  again. 
Haven^t  you  heard  — I  mean  don't  you  know  —  it  is  the  policy  of 
the  Yankees  to  kill  the  prisoners  off —  to  starve,  freeze,  suffo- 
cate, poison  them  ?  This  is  why  they  are  so  slow  about  ex- 
clianging  them." 

"  Both  sides  are  playing  at  that  game,  if  we  are  to  credit  the 
tales  we  hear  of  Andersonville  and  Salisbury,"  I  remarked. 

"  They  are  dealing  with  gentlemen! — we,  with  hired  ruf- 
fians, low,  drunken  foreigners  —  the  filth  and  offscouring  of  the 
earth.  I  would  no  more  save  a  Yankee  prisoner  from  starvino^ 
than  I  would  give  a  mad  dog  a  bone  to  gnaw.  I  have  a  great 
mind  to  tell  you  —  but  Rolf  would  never  forgive  me  —  He  was 
furious  because  the  report  had  reached  me,  and  charged  me  by 
everything  that  was  sacred  not  to  whisper  it  here ;  but,  as  I 
often  insist,  you  are  not  of  the  Lacys,  if  you  are  among  them 
—  and  I  have  trusted  you  before,  and  if  you  are  engaged  to 
Lynn,  that  makes  it  all  right,  you  know,  although  Rolf  says  the 
tale  may  be  only  a  sensation  affair,  after  all ;  and  that  if  it  were 
breathed  here  it  would  nearly  craze  Mrs.  Lacy.  But  as  I  rep- 
resented to  him,  in  the  gentlest  way,  he  is  a  rank  fool  to  hope 
to  keep  it  quiet  long,  for  bad  news  flies  fast.  Ah  !  well !  well ! 
if  they  are  gone  it  was  in  a  glorious  cause,  and  as  I  shall 
always  protest  to  my  latest  breath  —  it  was  better  than  to  live 
traitors,  and  their  country's  thanks  will  be  their  epigram  —  " 

I  seized  her  by  her  lean  arm.  I  think  I  shook  her.  I  am 
positive  I  heard  something  bony  rattle  besides  her  teeth. 

"What  are  you  gabbling  about?  Can't  you  speak  out  the 
direct  truth  for  once  in  your  life?  Who  has  gone?  What 
have  you  heard  ?  " 

I  was  excited,  and  she  was  the  color  of  a  dingy  pocket-hand- 
kerchief.    I  am  sure  she  thought  of  Charlotte  Corday  in  tho 
31* 


366  SUNNYBANK. 

grasp  of  the  gens  d'armes,  and  that  she  would  have  screamed 
had  I  not  released  her  with  a  laugh. 

"Hush!  hush!"  she  said,  under  her  breath.  "Rolf  will 
murder  me,  if  this  get  out  through  my  indiscretion." 

"  You  won't  live  to  give  him  the  chance  !  "  I  threatened,  in 
angry  jest.     "Out  with  it !  " 

"  How  impetuous  you  are,  my  dear ! "  with  a  sickly  smile. 
"  Recollect  —  if  I  must  indulge  you  —  it  is  only  a  report.  You 
remember,  that  several  hundred  Confederate  officers  were 
cooped  up  on  Morris'  Island,  last  summer  or  fall, — penned  up 
like  sheep,  and  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Confederate  batteries 
—  it  was  pretended,  by  the  black-hearted  Yankees,  as  a  retalia- 
tory measure  for  our  putting  two  or  three  of  their  trumpery 
Generals  under  fire  in  Charleston." 

"Yes  —  but  nobody  Avas  injured  in  either  case.  It  was 
mere  foolery  I  " 

"  So  some  of  the  papers  dare  to  say.  Returned  prisoners 
and  officers  from  the  South  tell  another  story.  James  talked, 
the  other  day,  with  a  man  who  escaped  from  the  Island  while 
they  were  there.  He  says  they  w^ere  fed  for  forty  days  upon 
corn-meal  and  pickles  ;  were  fired  into  by  the  mortars  every 
night ;  that  the  men  caught  cats  and  rats  to  eat  to  keep  them 
alive ;  that  Ross  and  Lynn  Lacy  were  among  those  devoted 
martyrs  to  liberty,  and  that  one  of  them  was  killed ! " 

I  have  strong  nerves,  but  I  staggered  at  this. 

"Which  one  was  named?"  I  faltered,  when  I  could  com- 
mand my  senses  a  little. 

"  Some  say  one  —  some  another.  This  makes  me  say  both 
are  dead." 

"  You  w^ere  right  to  tell  me  this  I  "  I  said,  thoughtfully. 
"  And  wiser  still  to  conceal  it  from  the  Lacys  until  the  shock- 
ing news  is  confirmed.  Now,  we  must  really  go  back  to  the 
other  room  I " 

I  led  the  way,  smiling  and  self-possessed.  If  a  breath  of  the 
frightful  intelligence  reached  Sunnybank,  the  marriage  w^ould 
be  postponed.     I  saw  in  this,  certainly,  Rolfs  reason  for  hushing 


SUNNYBANK.  367 

up  the  story.  Let  him  make  sure  of  his  bride,  and  his  tender- 
ness for  the  maternal  sensibilities  would  evaporate  with  the  dew 
of  his  marriage  morning.  I  must  stop  thinking  of  what  I  had 
heard,  lest  my  sober  or  absent  mood  should  kindle  suspicions 
that  somethinoj  w^as  wronor. 

o  o 

I  dashed  into  the  sluggish  stream  of  conversation  trickling 
from  the  lips  of  the  Kingstons  and  Mrs.  Lacy  —  Elinor  sitting 
by,  unsmiling  and  taciturn.  I  was  lively  and  saucy  to  the 
embarrassed  James,  whose  distaste  to  the  projected  alliance 
between  treason  and  loyalty  was  kept  under,  only  by  his  fear 
of  his  hectoring  brother ;  was  social  and  friendly  with  his 
insipid  wife,  who,  like  all  other  insipid  women,  can  say  and 
do  a  variety  of  spiteful  things.  She  has  exercised  this  talent 
upon  all  occasions  when  she  had  the  opportunity  to  abuse  and 
backbite  the  Lacys,  and  was  itching  to  irk  them  now,  in  some 
way,  but  dared  not  wag  her  foolish  tongue  against  them.  In 
fine,  I  set  everybody  at  his  and  her  ease,  and  wound  up  the 
farcical  visit  agreeably  to  all  parties. 

Then  I  took  myself  off  to  the  Growlery  with  my  news,  and 
revolved  it  at  my  leisure.  The  result  of  which  operation  was 
to  beget  a  profound  distrust  in  my  mind  of  the  whole  narrative. 
I  disbelieve  it  in  toto.  Yet,  if  it  should  be  true,  and  Ross  were 
the  slain  brother,  this  would  in  no  wise  affect  my  destiny.  If 
Lynn  —  why,  then,  Hayridge  and  its  appurtenances  are  not 
liable  to  confiscation.  Am  I  unfeeling?  Not  more  so  than  my 
most  Christian  neighbors.  To  Agatha  Lamar  I  am  unconven- 
tional —  that  is  the  difference  betwixt  me  and  them.  There  is 
neither  expediency  nor  wit  in  getting  up  sensational  effects  for 
one's  private  edification  —  particularly  when  there  may  be  no 
cause  for  the  exertion.  I  have  learned  one  thing  which  this 
high  and  puissant  Confederacy  would  do  well  to  study  ;  namely, 
not  to  squander  my  ammunition,  or  expend  all  my  forces,  upon 
an  insignificant  object.  I  have  had  a  surfeit  of  wasted  affec- 
tions, unfounded  apprehensions,  useless  tears,  in  bygone  days. 

Residence  in  this  Scripture-quoting  family  —  where,  out  of 


833  SUNNYBANK. 

the  mouths  of  babes  and  slaves  proceed  oracles  of  Solomonic 
wisdom  to  answer  fools  according  to  their  folly  —  has  rubbed 
up  my  biblical  lore.  I  have  adopted,  as  my  motto,  St.  Paul's 
capital  rule,  "Forgetting  the  things  that  are  behind  —  I  press 
forward  /  " 


SUNNYBANK.  369 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

ELIXOK. 

January  12. 

It  is  a  clear,  frosty  morning.  My  brisk  little  waterfall  is 
spread  over  the  rock  below  the  lawn  in  twisted  silver  ribbons  ; 
the  pointed  crowns  of  the  pine-grove  are  drawn  sharply  against 
the  pale-blue  sky ;  the  smoke  rises  in  straight  columns  from  the 
village  of  servants'  houses,  and  although  there  is  not  a  breath 
of  wind,  I  can  hear  the  ring  of  axes,  the  pleasant  confusion 
of  happy  voices  from  the  frozen  cove,  between  the  hills,  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  away. 

The  homestead  is  bright  with  sunshine,  and  great  fires  upon 
every  hearth  roar  up  the  chimneys  with  a  shout  like  the  blast 
of  a  trumpet.  There  is  a  murmur  of  busy  life  in  rooms  and 
passages  —  much  shutting  of  doors  and  echoing  of  footsteps, 
and  calling  from  the  house  to  the  kitchen,  and,  once  in  a  while, 
the  uprising  of  a  voice  from  dining-room,  parlor,  or  chamber, 
in  a  song  of  praise,  a  "Hallelujah,"  or  "Oh,  be  joyful!" 
Mammy,  Aunt  Becky,  or  Susan  being  the  untaught  musician. 
Mammy's  favorite,  "  We  are  bound  for  the  land  of  Canaan," 
seems  most  popular.  As  I  write,  she  is  bustling  about  the  next 
room,  getting  it  ready  for  Aunt  Ellen,  who  is  expected  to-mor- 
row ;  and  the  wild,  sweet  refrain  breaks  out  at  irregular  inter- 
vals :  — 

**  We  are  bound  for  the  land  of  Canaan, 
That  bright  and  blessed  shore; 
We  are  bound  for  the  land  of  Canaan, 
There  to  part  no  more !  " 

If  the  bliss  of  earthly  reunion,  after  weary  separation,  fills 
the  heart  to  overflowing,  who  can  conceive  the  rapture  of  that 


370  SDNNYBANK. 

meeting,  in  the  full  assurance  of  eternal  companiousliip  !  Calm 
and  brightness  faintly,  yet  expressively,  imaged  by  the  still  glory 
of  this  morning  after  the  storm  of  yesterday  —  the  piercing 
winds  of  the  past  night. 

The  darkness  fell  early,  yet  the  day  had  hung  heavily  upon 
my  hands  and  heart.  I  had  not  allowed  myself  a  moment  of 
relaxation  from  dawn  to  dusk,  and  the  twilight  found  me 
very  tired  in  body  —  cast  down  to  the  dust  in  spirit.  For  an 
hour  before  supper,  the  parlor  is  usually  given  up  to  my  sole 
occupancy.  Mammy  peeped  in  to  see  that  the  fire  burned  well, 
readjusted  the  logs  upon  the  andirons,  lowered  the  curtains  that 
swayed  in  the  fierce  wind,  and  advised  me  to  lie  down. 

"  You'll  walk  your  feet  off,  pacing  over  that  carpet,  honey  ! 
I  don't  like  your  looks  to-day.  You  are  fairly  fit  to  drop.  It's 
bad  for  the  flesh  to  be  always  lifting  the  heavy  end  of  the 
cross ! " 

*'  Somebody  must  lift  it.  Mammy  !  " 

"Yes,  dear  —  but  jest  you  ease  it  off  upon  the  Lord  !  You 
couldn't  overload  Him,  if  you  was  to  try  !  " 

Left  alone,  I  rested  my  aching  head  among  the  sofa-pillows, 
where  my  poor  Lynn  lay  so  long  and  cheerfully  —  shaded  my 
eyes  from  the  glare  of  the  fire,  and  tried  to  obey  her  injunction. 
I  had  no  power  of  connected  thought  to  aid  me  in  arraying 
remembered  mercies  and  past  deliverances  into  line  of  battle 
against  fast-coming  despondency  and  oppressing  fears. 

I  but  said,  brokenly,  and  with  tears,  "  I  have  tried  to  do  and 
to  bear  Thy  will,  my  Father  !  Grant  me  strength  for  what  is 
to  come,  and  let  me  not  sink  in  dismay  before  my  work  is 
done !  " 

Then  sleep  overtook  me  —  swiftly  and  completely.  One  mo- 
ment I  heard  the  roar  of  the  flames  in  the  fireplace,  and  the 
hoarse  tempest  battering  the  ancient  walls  until  the  house 
creaked  and  strained  in  all  her  joints  — the  next,  I  was  a  child 
again,  playing  with  little  Morton  upon  the  grass  in  front  of  the 
door,  making  wreaths  and  chains  of  yellow  jessamine,  gathered 


SUNNYBANK.  371 

from  the  vine  overrunning  the  porch,  while  Mamma' and  Papa 
sat  upon  the  steps  watching  us. 

"  Nellie  is  the  stronger  of  the  two  !  "  I  heard  Mamma  say. 
*'  The  angels  take  pity  upon  the  weak  ones  of  the  flock  !  " 

Papa  answered,  tenderly,  "  Yet  my  baby-girl  shall  never  dash 
her  foot  against  a  stone  that  I  can  remove  from  her  path  !  " 

As  he  said  it,  a  torrent  of  passionate  love  and  gratitude 
flooded  my  soul,  and  I  broke  out  into  loud  weeping,  in  stretch- 
ing my  arms  toward  him. 

"  I  would  die  for  you,  if  I  could,  Papa  !  "  I  cried. 

"  I  believe  you,  my  darling ! "  he  said,  clasping  me  to  his 
heart,  and  I  felt  other  tears  mingling  with  mine.  "  Thank  God, 
there  is  no  need  for  this  !  " 

There  rushed  back  upon  my  senses  the  roar  of  the  fire  and 
storm.  I  knew  where  I  was,  and  that  I  had  dreamed  of  my 
angel-brother ;  of  the  spring  sunshine  and  fragrant  blossoms  ; 
of  infancy  and  Mamma's  guarding  care  over  her  babes.  But 
the  strong  arms  enfolded  me  yet  —  there  were  tears  falling  upon 
my  cheek,  and  kisses,  warm  and  sweet,  upon  my  lips  ;  again  a 
voice,  tremulous  with  emotion,  repeated,  "  Thank  God  !  "  — 
and  oh !  it  was  Papa's  living,  present  self,  upon  whose  bosom 

Hay! 

He   put  his   finger   upon   my  mouth,   when  I  would   have 

screamed  with  joy. 

"  Mamma  !  "  he  whispered,  warningly,  "  we  must  not  startle 
her  !  Go  to  her,  and  say  there  is  some  one  here  with  news  of 
me  —  good  news  !  " 

I  obeyed  implicitly.  I  delivered  the  message  without  the 
alteration  of  a  word  —  saw  her  face  light  up  with  sudden  hope 
as  she  hurried  along  the  hall  to  the  door  beyond  which  happi- 
ness awaited  her  ;  then  I  knelt  where  I  stood,  overwhelmed  by 
the  richness  of  this  unexpected  blessing. 

Pretty  soon  Mamma  called  me.  I  have  heard  of  voices  full 
of  tears.     Hers  was  full  of  smiles. 

"Where  is  Carrie?"  she  said,  when  I- appeared.  "She 
must  welcome  Papa  ! " 


372  SUNNYBANK. 

I  rushed  up  stairs,  and  brought  her  down  in  ray  arras  with- 
out a  thought  of  her  weight.  Papa  met  us  in  the  hall,  and 
exclaimed  at  my  imprudence,  as  he  stooped  to  the  child's  de- 
lighted embrace. 

'■'•  You  must  bear  no  more  such  burdens  for  me,  dear  !  " 

"  All  I  can  do  is  too  little  !  "  I  answered. 

I  meant  it  honestly  then.  I  echo  the  sentiment  emphatically 
in  the  comparative  calmness  of  this  morning.  Months  of 
watching,  waiting,  and  suffering  were  forgotten  in  the  rapture 
of  one  hour  such  as  we  spent  last  night  —  Mamma  and  I  on 
either  side  of  him,  and  Carrie  upon  his  knee,  while  he  recounted 
all  he  knew  of  the  circumstances  of  his  release.  This  was  not 
much.  He  had  been  waited  upon  by  a  couple  of  officials,  who 
informed  him,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  representations  and 
petitions  of  influential  friends,  the  authorities  having  jurisdic- 
tion in  his  case,  had  resolved  to  liberate  him  upon  his  giving 
his  parole  not  to  communicate  with  the  enemy,  nor  to  quit  the 
state  until  the  charges  against  him  could  be  fairly  investi- 
gated. 

"  Rolf  considers  this  equivalent  to  an  unconditional  release," 
said  Papa.  "  He  was  waiting  for  me  at  the  prison-door,  hav- 
ing been  cognizant  of,  and,  I  more  than  suspect,  mainly  instru- 
mental in  accomplishing,  my  deliverance.  He  is  a  noble  fellow, 
Nellie,  and  delicate  as  generous.  He  accompanied  me  to  the 
gate  to-night,  but  I  could  not  induce  him  to  enter,  although  he 
was  drenched  by  the  rain,  which  only  abated  about  sunset. 
*  Your  meeting  sh^ld  be  without  witnesses  —  however  friend- 
ly,' he  insisted." 

"  But  you  have  earned  a  right  to  participate  in  our  joy  !  "  I 
said. 

He  laughed.  "  If  I  have  —  which  you  cannot  prove  —  I 
will  ride  over  to-morrow,  to  receive  my  reward.  Say  to  Miss 
Elinor  —  please  —  that  this  is  the  gift  I  promised  her." 

He  wrote  to  me,  a  week  ago,  that  he  was  having  prepared  a 
bridal  present  for  me,  which,  he  was  confident,  would  suit  my 
taste.     And  ungrateful  I  had  never  given  the  significant  sen- 


SUNNYBANK.  373 

tence  a  second  thought !  Can  years  of  devotion  to  his  interests 
and  efforts  to  secure  bis  happiness  repay  a  service  like  this? 

Papa  resumed :  — 

"  My  momentary  impulse,  on  hearing  the  message  of  release, 
was  to  answer  as  did  Paul  and  Silas :  '  They  have  beaten 
me  openly,  uncondemned,  and  cast  me  into  prison ;  and  now 
do  they  thrust  me  out  privily?'  But  visions  of  wife,  children, 
and  home  arose  between  my  eyes  and  my  dignified  exemplars, 
and  I  entered  into  the  prescribed  engagement." 

••'  I  am  thankful  you  did  !  "  responded  Mamma.  "  Yet  it 
was  a  cowardly  method  of  extricating  themselves  from  the  em- 
barrassing situation  into  which  their  folly  had  hurried  them. 
We  will  not  quarrel  with  the  manner  of  your  restoration,  how- 
ever. It  is  enough,  and  more  than  enough,  that  you  are  here 
—  safe  and  well !  " 

More  than  enough  !  How  often  have  I  said  it  since  my  awa- 
kening in  the  dear  arms  that  were  the  cradle  of  my  helpless 
childhood  !  If  I  had  not  been  reconciled  before  to  the  idea  of 
the  union,  distant  now  but  two  days,  Rolfs  agency  in  procur- 
ing for  us  this  inestimable  boon  must  have  won  my  consent. 
I  have  never  said  to  him,  nor  to  myself,  that  I  loved  him ;  but 
my  heart  is  very  warm  and  full  in  the  anticipation  of  his  visit. 
If  it  is  not  love  which  I  can  guarantee  him  with  the  poor  gift 
of  my  hand,  the  respect  and  affectionate  gratitude  that  make 
up  my  regard  for  him,  may  prove  a  substitute  worthy  of  his 
acceptance  until  warmer  and  fonder  emotions  shall  supersede 
these.  He  deserves  more  —  how  much  more,  I  "wdll  strive 
never  to  let  him  feel  —  than  I  can  bring  him. 

The  wind  still  raged  around  the  house  when  I  sought  my  pil- 
low. Delicious  slumber  chained  my  thoughts  and  senses  during 
the  rest  of  the  dark  hours  —  such  sleep  as  an  exhausted  child 
enjoys  in  his  crib  beside  his  mother's  bed  —  clinging  to  that 
mother's  hand.  \  did  not  dream  of  him  again,  but  the  percep- 
tion of  Papa's  presence  under  the  same  roof  with  me  abode 
with  me  until  the  keen  rays  of  an  unclouded  sun  awoke  me. 
It  was  fitting  that  the  world  should  be  bright ;  that  Sunnybank 
32 


374  SUNNYBANK. 

should  wear  her  gayest  aspect  to  greet  her  returned  lord.  In 
consequence  of  the  inclement  weather,  Papa  did  not  summon 
the  servants  in  to  prayers  last  night.  This  morning,  he  rang 
the  bell  himself,  and  stood  at  the  upper  end  of  the  room,  — his 
arm  resting  upon  the  mantel,  his  Bible  in  his  hand,  his  old 
place  and  old  attitude,  —  surveying  the  familiar  forms  as  they 
quietly  trooped  in  and  took  their  seats.  His  hair  is  bleached 
perceptibly  by  his  confinement,  and  his  complexion  is  less 
healthy  than  it  used  to  be.  His  face  is  thinner,  and  his  eyes 
seem  larger  from  this  loss  of  flesh  and  color ;  but  their  light 
is  undimmed,  and  the  finely-moulded  lips,  with  their  mild,  firm 
lines  when  at  rest,  their  strangely-radiant  smile  when  he  is 
pleased  or  engaged  in  lively  talk,  are  unchanged. 

When  all  were  still  and  attentive,  he  read,  very  slowly,  as 
tasting  the  sweetness  of  each  word,  a  psalm  that  might  have 
been  indited  by  himself  in  commemoration  of  his  perils  and  his 
deliverance. 

"  I  will  extol  Thee,  my  God,  O  King !  and  I  will  bless  Thy 
name  forever  and  ever  !  " 

We  sang  again,  as  we  had  done,  the  evening  of  his  arrest,  — 

"  Our  God,  our  help  in  ages  past !  " 

The  entire  service  was  like  an  earnest  of  the  joys  reserved 
for  the  inhabitants  of  the  better,  because  enduring  Home. 

The  breakfast  hour  was  filled  up  with  hopeful,  merry  conver- 
sation. Papa  brought  fresh,  and,  as  we  think,  reliable  rumors 
of  a  general  exchange  of  prisoners  of  war.  It  really  seems 
likely  now  that  another  month  ^vill  see  us,  once  more,  a  united 
family.  Agatha,  who  had  been,  in  a  measure,  put  aloof  from 
our  happy  circle,  during  our  transports  at  Papa's  return,  was 
drawn  within  it  by  these  tidings.  She  is  ardently  attached  to 
Lynn.  We  hope  that  he  may  win  back  the  olden  trust  and  love 
we  had  in  and  for  her,  and  she  for  us.  His  ^fluence  over  her 
cannot  but  be  for  good.  Her  interest  in  the  preparations  for 
my  marriage,  and  Rolfs  regard  for  her,  have,  with  me,  par- 
tially effaced  the  recollection  of  what  has  been  unpleasant  and 


SUNNYBANK.  375 

mysterious  in  our  intercourse  for  several  years  back,  and  her 
sparkling  eyes  and  speaking  countenance,  as  Papa  explained  the 
probabilities  of  the  proposed  exchange,  disposed  him,  with 
Mamma,  to  forget  the  disagreeable  passages  that  had  warped 
their  early  favorable  opinion  of  her.  Our  spirits  arose  into 
gayety  in  the  reaction  after  our  long  season  of  depression. 
Mamma  undertook  to  furnish  Papa  Avith  a  summary  of  her 
farming  and  housewifely  operations  during  his  absence,  Agatha 
and  I  saucily  supplying  details  which  she  saw  fit  to  omit. 

Mammy's  favorite  project,  in  which  she  is  aided  and  abetted 
by  her  mistress,  is  the  manufacture  of  a  carpet  woven  of  cows' 
hair  and  poplar  bark.     We  had  ridiculed  the  scheme  at  its  in- 
ception, but  under  the   combined  influences  of  ingenuity  and 
perseverance,  the  fabric  is  growing  into  a  form  so  respectable 
as  to  silence  our  incredulity.     The  product  of  these  will  assur- 
edly be  a  carpet  —  firm,  pliable,  possibly  durable.      But  their 
difficulties  about  dyes  are  endless,  and  we  amused  ourselves 
and  Papa  by  expatiating  upon  these.     We  related  that  when- 
ever ISIamma  was  missed  from  other  posts,  it  was  the  habit  of 
whomsoever  wanted  her,  to  repair,  forthwith,  to  the  weaving- 
room,  where  she  and  her  coadjutor  were  invariably  discovered 
discussing  perplexedly  the  feasibility  of  making  bricks  without 
straw  —  i.  e.,  dye  without  coloring  matter. 

"  If  you  could  hear  Mammy's  apostrophes  to  the  departed 
shades  of  copperas  and  indigo  !  "  said  I. 

"  And  Mrs.  Lacy's  suggested  substitutes  !  "  chimed  in  Agatha. 
"To  wit  —  yellow  clay  and  wormwood  leaves  and  stalks, 
which,  being  tried,  result  in  a  very  sickly  tint,  that  has  the  un- 
pleasant quality  of  vanishing  entirely  when  the  cloth  or  yarn 
is  dipped  into  water." 

"  The  conferences  always  terminate  in  a  very  brave  show 
of  resignation  and  a  very  poor  show  of  making  a  virtue  of  a 
necessity,"  said  I.  ^ 

"  Well,  Rachel,  while  we  have  madder  and  green  walnuts, 
we  are  sure  of  an  abundance  of  red  and  black ! "  says  Mam- 


370  SUNNYBANK. 

ma,  philosophically.  "  We  will  try  another  stripe  of  each. 
After  all,  there  is  nothing  that  has  a  finer  effect  in  furniture." 

*'  For  what  state  apartment  is  this  marvellous  piece  of  tap- 
estry designed  ?  "  inquired  Papa. 

"  What  a  question  !  "  cried  Agatha  and  I  in  a  breath.  "  For 
the  parlor,  of  course  !  " 

"  Nonsense  !  "  laughed  Mamma.  "  Our  ambition  does  not 
aspire  to  loftier  achievements  than  carpeting  the  dining-room. 
Wait  until  you  have  a  warm  thick  covering  over  these  slippery 
oak  boards,  and  we  shall  see  whose  turn  it  will  be  to  laugh.  I 
do  not  plume  myself  so  much  upon  my  divers  experiments  at 
coffee-raising." 

"What  am  I  drinking  now?"  asked  Papa,  tasting  his  sec- 
ond cup  of  the  smoking  beverage.  "  It  may  be  Java  or  Mocha, 
for  aught  I  can  say.  The  flavor  is  exquisite  to  a  palate  accus- 
tomed to  that  served  out  to  the  patrons  of  the  Hotel  Libby  and 
Castle  Thunder." 

"  The  entire  concoction  is  a  deplorable  '  sham,'  with  the 
honorable  exception  of  the  cream,"  answered  Mamma.  "  The 
coffee  is  made  of  sweet  potatoes  cut  into  strips  and  toasted 
brown,  and  roasted  rye,  ground  up  together.  The  sugar  is  the 
residuum  collected  from  the  sorghum  kegs  after  the  sirup  is 
drained  off.  It  is  sweet  enough  —  too  sweet,  indeed  —  but  I 
try  to  slip  it  into  the  cups  when  no  one  is  looking  at  me,  and 
keep  the  sugar-dish  carefully  covered  while  we  are  at  the 
table." 

"  She  tried  to  refine  it  by  exposing  it  to  the  sun,  but  it 
changed  back  into  sirup,"  Agatha  supplied.  "  Then  she  racked 
her  invention  for  some  other  method,  but  rememberinsr  nothiu"- 
that  bore  upon  the  case,  except  that  bullock's  blood  was  an 
agent  in  the  process,  she  gave  it  up  as  too  costly  an  under- 
taking." 

Papa  made  a  slight  grimace.  "  I  am  glad  she  encountered 
this  obstacle  —  that  there  is  nothinor  more  in  her  sugar  than 
meets  the  eye." 

"I  must  tell  you"  —  I  took  up  the  tale — "of  a  private 


SUNNYBANK.  377 

enterprise  to  wliicli  Agatha  and  I  were  incited  by  Mamma's  nota- 
ble successes.  Following  the  illustrious  precedent  afforded  by 
Michael  Angelo  when  he  hewed  at  a  shapeless  block  of  marble 
to  liberate  the  angel  imprisoned  in  it,  Mamma  espies  household 
gods  —  or  goods  —  in  every  herb,  root,  and  tree.  One  day  last 
fall,  she  was  walking  in  the  cornfield,  and  happened  to  put  a 
dried  black-eyed  pea  into  her  mouth. 

"  '  It  tastes  very  much  like  a  grain  of  raw  coffee  ! '  she  said. 
'  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  it  made  an  admirable  substitute  ! ' 

*'  Agatha  and  I  took  counsel  of  one  another  apart,  and  filled 
our  pockets  with  peas.  These  we  brought  to  the  house,  and 
intrusted,  under  seal  of  secrecy,  to  Mammy.  She  roasted  the 
'  substitute,*  ground  it,  and  next  morning  converted  it  into 
liquid  coffee.  Mamma  tasted  hers  at  breakfast,  and  added 
sugar,  tasted  again,  and  discovered  that  it  lacked  cream  ;  a  third 
time  —  and  replenished  her  cup  from  the  hot-water  pot.  Still, 
something  was  amiss. 

"  '  I  cannot  get  my  coffee  to  taste  right ! '  was  her  complaint 
finally,  and  our  repressed  amusement  escaped  in  a  scream  of 
laughter.  Then  Agatha  explained  that  it  '  had  a  pea-culiar 
flavor.' " 

*'  The  war  and  the  attendant  domestic  inconveniences  have 
acted  as  an  excellent  school  of  philosophy  in  our  household  !  " 
said  Papa,  laughing.  "  There  is  no  better  way  of  taking  the 
sting  from  a  petty  privation,  or  a  great  annoyance,  than  turning 
the  dilemma  into  ridicule." 

"  Only  those  who  have  had  no  experience  of  real  sorrow, 
fret  over  these  paltry  inconveniences,"  answered  Mamma. 
"  Now,  if  you  have  finished  your  breakfast,  and  these  mischiev- 
ous girls  have  no  more  stories  of  my  failures  ready,  I  invite 
you  to  make  a  tour  of  the  premises,  and  judge  for  yourself  of 
my  successes." 

It  was  so  cold  they  did  not  linger  long  out  of  doors.     They 
had  just  entered  the  parlor,  where  Agatha  and  I  were  seated 
with  our  needlework,  when  I  saw,  through  the  window,  a  gray- 
coated  courier  ride  into  the  front  yard. 
32* 


378  SUNNYBANK. 

"  It  is  nothing,  love !  "  said  Papa  to  Mamma,  who  had 
turned  deadly  white.  "  My  written  parole  is  an  elFectual  pro- 
tection." 

He  met  the  messenger  in  the  porch.  He  bore  a  letter  for 
Mamma  from  Colonel  Copeland,  who,  the  note  stated,  was  at 
the  Court  House. 

"If  it  were  expedient  or  possible  for  me  to  wait  upon  you 
in  person,  I  would  not  trouble  you  to  come  to  me,"  he  wrote. 
"  But  important  developments  bearing  upon  Mr.  Lacy's  case 
have  been  brought  to  my  knowledge  since  I  last  communicated 
Avith  you.  I  mean  to  investigate  these  while  here.  I  could 
not  do  this  so  well  elsewhere.  I  may  be  compelled  to  change 
my  quarters  to-morrow.  I  can  spare  but  a  few  hours  from 
military  duty  to-day  for  any  one  —  even  yourself.  The  bearer 
of  this  is  an  honest,  trusty  fellow.  Will  you  accept  him  as  your 
escort,  and  ride  over  this  forenoon?  I  believe  the  roads  to  be 
perfectly  safe  between  Sunnybank  and  the  Court  House.  They 
are  well-picketed,  if  the  intelligence  brought  in  by  my  scouts  is 
to  be  relied  upon." 

There  was  no  time  to  lose.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  afl^r 
the  receipt  of  the  letter,  the  carriage  was  at  the  door ;  Mamma, 
enveloped  in  many  wrappings,  placed  within  it ;  Papa  took  a 
seat  beside  her,  and  with  the  courier  bringing  up  the  rear,  they 
set  off  in  the  direction  of  the  Court  House. 

"  How  inconsiderate  in  Colonel  Copeland  to  send  for  your 
mother  upon  this  fearfully  cold  day  to  aid  in  his  wild-goose 
chase  ! "  said  Agatha,  shivering,  as  we  turned  back  into  the 
house,  after  seeing  them  start. 

"  His  business  is  probably  urgent,"  I  answered. 

"  I  don't  believe  it !  He  has- the  reputation  of  being  vision- 
ary and  over-sanguine.  What  can  he  have  discovered  that  will 
recompense  her  for  her  uncomfortable  ride  ?  " 

"  If  he  tells  her  nothing,  she  will  not  think  of  discomfort 
while  Papa  is  her  companion.  Now  that  he  is  here,  bugbears 
of  every  description  have  lost  their  power  to  terrify." 

This  is  true.     I  seem  lifted,  as  by  one  sweep  of  a  strong  arm, 


SUNNYBANK.  379 

above  the  reach  of  the  fears  that  have  preyed  upon  my  spirits 
since  he  was  torn  from  us.  His  genial  influence  is  diiFused 
throughout  the  plantation.  New  life  has  been  breathed  into 
all,  from  the  oldest  to  the  youngest.  Agatha  did  not  return  to 
the  parlor,  and  I  ca«ne  up  to  my  room,  arrayed  myself  as  I 
fancied  Rolf  would  wish  to  see  me  —  in  one  of  my  new  dresses, 
put  a  flower  into  my  hair  for  the  first  tine  in  a  great  while,  and 
sat  down  to  write  near  a  window  that  commands  the  road.  I 
have  conned  the  vast  debt  I  owe  my  betrothed,  and  my  father's 
best  friend.  I  strive  to  bear  each  particular  in  mind,  that  noth- 
ing may  be  wanting  from  my  welcome.  Against  the  dark 
curtain  of  sorrows  and  reverses,  his  tireless  goodness,  his  con- 
stancy, his  daring  adherence  to  our  fallen  fortunes  stand  out  in 
bold  relief — compel  my  grateful  affection.  If  I  repeat  this 
often,  it  is  to  engrave  it  more  deeply  upon  my  heart  and  mem- 
ory. In  years  to  come  I  may  review  this  record  of  the  brightest 
day  that  has  shone  through  our  four  years'  gloom,  and  mar- 
vel that  when  joy  at  Papa's  restoration  and  thankfulness  to  his 
deliverer  w^ere  at  their  height,  I  could  bring  our  benefactor  no 
worthier  offering  than  such  gratitude  as  friendship  might  know. 
Unless  I  destroy  my  Journal  with  other  precious  relics  that 
must  not  outlast  my  wedding-day.  One  person,  and  one  alone, 
ever  knew  one  tenth  as  much  of  my  inner  life  as  is  revealed  by 
these  pages.  I  shall  feel  almost  as  if  I  were  burning  a  sentient 
thing  when  they  shrivel  in  the  fire,  so  interfused  are  they  with 
my  thoughts  and  feelings.  Those  other  mementos  —  I  shall 
not  look  as  the  flame  kindles  upon  them  ;  but  in  two  days  more 
I  shall  forfeit  the  right  to  keep  them.  If  I  had  my  wish,  I 
know  where  all  should  be  —  journal,  letters,  flowers,  and  minia- 
ture. Upon  a  stilled  heart,  embraced  by  lifeless  hands  in  the 
National  Cemetery  at  Gettysburg. 


380  SUNNYBANK. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

AGATHA. 

February  5. 
It  was  the  day  after  Mr.  Laey's  return  to  his  home.  I  shall 
always  consider  that  Rolf  treated  me  badly  in  that  matter.  He 
ought  to  have  paid  me  the  compliment  of  forewarning  me  of 
his  preme3itated  and  most  startling  move,  not  sprung  the  event 
upon  me  suddenly,  as  it  came  upon  the  beneficiaries  of  his 
charitable  deed.  I  knew  no  more  of  the  expected  arrival  than 
did  the  wife  and  daughter  of  the  late  prisoner  of  state.  A  very 
rotten  concern  this  state  must  be  if  the  release  of  her  worst 
enemies  is  so  easily  affected !  The  furore  of  the  jubilation 
attending  the  Master's  return  had  not  begun  to  subside,  when 
a  despatch  was  received,  per  courier,  from  Colonel  Copeland, 
commanding,  rather  than  requesting,  Mrs.  Lacy's  presence  at 
the  Court  House.  If  Mr.  Lacy's  appearance  had  surprised  me, 
this  message  caused  me  serious  perturbation.  It  looked  as  if 
the  wheel  of  fortune,  having  once  inclined  toward  the  interests 
of  the  Tory  family,  were  disposed  to  complete  the  revolution, 
and  bring  them  up  in  the  world  once  more.  Coupling  it  with 
Rolf's  sudden  exertion  of  puissance  in  the  case  of  his  father-in- 
law,  I  could  not  dismiss  the  apprehension  that  a  screw  was 
working  loose  somewhere.  It  would  have  been  more  in  accord- 
ance with  my  ally's  known  decision  and  caution  to  make  sure 
of  his  fair  one  before  paying  the  price  for  which  she  had  bar- 
gained ;  to  demand  the  ransom  in  full  before  delivering  up  the 
captive.  It  was  too  much  like  the  vulgar  manoeuvre  of  the 
hunted  thief,  who  drops  the  bag  of  treasure  to  divert  attention 
from  his  own  tracks. 


SUNNYBANK.  381 

111  at  ease,  therefore,  I  shut  myself  up  in  my  chamber  to 
ponder  the  signs  of  the  times,  and,  in  sailor  phrase,  make  all 
weather-tight  in  case  of  a  coming  squall.  I  could  have  made 
more  effectual  preparations  had  the  falling  barometer  indicated 
the  quarter  from  which  "  the  blow  "  was  likely  to  attack  me. 
There  was  a  splendid  fire  in  my  room,  the  day  being  bitiugly 
cold,  and  my  blood  sensitive  to  chilling  influences.  When  I 
think,  I  think  !  no  wandering  thoughts,  or  discursive  memories, 
or  useless  sentimentalizing — the  rambling  reverie  most  women 
call  a  brown  study.  Nothing  sharpens  the  faculties  like  the 
sense  of  personal  danger.  I  wrapped  myself  up  in  my  shawl, 
let  down  my  window  curtains,  drew  up  my  rocking  chair  close 
to  the  hearth,  put  my  feet  upon  the  fender,  and  looking  the 
glowing  fire  in  the  eyes,  fell  to  work  upon  the  problem.  I  com- 
menced systematically  at  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  noted 
the  stability  of  each  position,  the  effect  of  every  stratagem,  the 
consequences  of  every  pitched  battle,  as  seemed  to  me  reason- 
able and  right,  until  I  arrived  leisurely  —  making  clean  work 
the  whole  way  —  at  the  moment  of  apparent  victory.  This 
accomplished,  I  was  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever  as  to  the  im- 
portance I  should  attach  to  the  unfavorable  portents  I  have 
named,  or  whether,  indeed,  I  should  continue  to  view  them  as 
portents  of  any  description,  malign  or  propitious.  I  had  just 
made  up  my  mind  to  do  as  common  sense  had  dictated  at  the 
outset  —  to  suspend  inquiry  and  suppress  foreboding  until  Rolf's 
expected  visit  to  his  Dulcinea  should  grant  me  an  opportunity 
of  getting  the  truth  from  headquarters,  when  a  commotion 
below  stairs,  and  out  of  doors,  pierced  the  wall  of  my  abstrac- 
tion. 

A  reconnoissance  from  the  windows  on  both  sides  of  my  room 
showed  me  negroes,  in  groups  and  singly,  flying  across  the 
lawn  with  burdens  of  divers  descriptions  in  their  arms  —  cloth- 
ing, baskets,  and  the  like,  while  in  and  about  the  smoke-house 
a  gang  of  six  or  eight  were  busy  secreting  meat,  under  old  Will's 
generalship. 


382  SUNNYBANK. 

"A  raid  or  a  false  alarm?"  I  asked  myself,  as  I  descended 
to  institute  inquiries,  and  bear  my  part  in  the  laudable  work  of 
cheating  the  freebooters  of  their  expected  prey.  I  was  not 
frightened.  Nor  was  any  one  else,  except  the  sillier  of  the  ser- 
vant women.  The  frequency  of  warnings  that  the  Philistines 
are  upon  us  had  habituated  us  to  the  idea,  and  practice  had 
made  us  experts  in  the  task  of  clever  concealment.  I  drew  my 
shawl  up  over  my  head,  and  repaired  at  once  to  old  Will.  I 
don't  like  him,  and  he  thinks  me  like  my  Grandfather  Finely, 
the  pauper  and  drunkard ;  therefore  entitled  to  an  inferior  qual- 
ity of  respect  to  that  due  his  mistress'  daughter.  But  he  is  a 
sensible  fellow,  and  can  give  a  straightforward  answer.  Hence 
my  address  to  him. 

"  Who  brought  the  news?  " 

"  The  boys  from  the  cove,  where  they  were  cutting  ice. 
Don't  empty  them  hogsheads !  Leave  enough  to  make  'em 
think  there's  no  more.  And  fill  up  two  of  'em  to  the  top  w^th 
ashes.     If  they  want  meat,  let  'em  gravel  for  it," 

"  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"  Crossing  the  river,  a  mile  the  other  side  of  the  cove. 
Dick  !  it's  time  the  horses  were  off!  Cut  right  across  the  fields, 
m  send  a  boy  after  you  to  put  up  the  fences." 

"  Were  there  many?"  I  persisted. 

"  They  say  five  hundred  !     Maybe  there's  fifty  !  " 

"  A  mighty  long  string  !  "  said  one  of  the  laborers. 

"  Cavalry  ?  "  I  asked  of  him. 

"  Yes,  ma'am.'* 

*'  And  blue  coats  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  I'd  as  lief  see  one  as  't'other,"  said  Will.  *'  Kautz  or 
Wheeler,  Mosby  or  Stoneman,  —  they  will  all  take  whatever 
they  can  lay  their  hands  upon." 

Just  here,  Albert  galloped  down  the  hill,  at  the  summit  of 
which  he  had  been  posted  by  the  commandant  of  the  sable 
guard. 


SUNNYBANK.  383 

"  Defve  comin'  dis  way  —  sure  and  sartain  !  "  was  his  report 
to  headquarters. 

"How  far  off?" 

"  Just  the  other  side  of  Tim's  Creek,"  — irhich  is  half  a  mile 
from  the  outer  gate. 

''  All  right !  "  returned  the  Eboe  Napoleon.  "  Shovel  spry, 
boys !  " 

Above  the  excaration  that  occupied  one  corner  of  the  meat- 
house,  were  fitted,  at  the  depth  of  a  foot,  stout  planks ;  upon 
tliese,  dried  leaves  and  straw  were  laid,  and  the  whole  covered 
with  earth,  which  was  kept  in  huge  hogsheads  for  this  purpose 
and  no  other.  When  the  busy  spades  had  beaten  this  hard, 
sand  was  strewed  over  it,  to  hide  the  marks  of  recent  digging, 
should  the  flooring  be  removed;  then  the  boards  were  nailed 
down,  and  boxes  and  barrels  piled  upon  them. 

"  Now  scatter  !  "  ordered  Will.  "  And  don^t  one  of  you 
dare  to  cut  his  eyes  this  way,  if  he  expects  to  get  anything  to 
eat  for  the  next  six  months." 

The  bits  of  straw  and  leaves  had  disappeared  from  the  floor 
and  threshold  before  the  brooms  of  the  women,  marshalled  by 
Eachel,  and  another  scout  announced  that  the  blue-coats  were 
entering  the  upper  gate. 

"  Let  them  come  !  "  responded  Will,  imperturbably. 

"  Dar's  a  thousand  of  'em  ! " 

So  added  the  scout,  his  limbs  shaking,  and  his  wool  seeming 
actually  to  uncurl  with  terror. 

"  A  big  scare  is  a  fust-rate  magnify ing-glass  !  "  rejoined  the 
head  man.  '*  If  you're  afraid  of  the  face  of  man,  Sim,  I'll 
send  your  mammy  with  you  down  into  the  swamp  'long  with 
the  rest  of  the  calves  and  feeble  cre'turs.  Miss  Agatha, 
I'm  thinking  you  ladies  will  find  it  more  pleasant  up  st^iirs. 
I'll  keep  them  down,    if  I  can.      Anyhow,  they   won't  hurt 

you!" 

"  Oh !  J  am  not  afraid !  "  I  laughed,  going  into  the  back 
door  as  he  strode  around  the  corner  of  the  house. 


384  'SUNNYBANK. 

In  truth,  I  never  felt  more  unconcerned  in  my  life.  My  few- 
articles  of  jewelry  were  done  up  in  a  little  packet,  w^hich  I  easily 
pocketed,  and  sought  Elinor.  She  was  at  her  window,  watch- 
ing, from  behind  the  bowed  shutters,  the  advance  of  the  raid- 
ers. There  were,  I  should  say,  between  two  and  three  hun- 
dred in  all,  and  I  was  immediately  struck  by  the  villanous 
appearance  of  those  who  were  near  enough  for  us  to  discern 
their  faces.  They  were  mostly  foreigners  of  the  lowest  class, 
with  unkempt  beards,  wdld  shocks  of  sunburnt  hair,  and  their 
tanned  visages  were  rendered  yet  more  repulsive  by  their  dress 
—  the  light-blue  great-coats,  worn  by  the  Yankee  army  at  this 
season  —  undeniably  the  ugliest  uniform  ever  adopted  by  any 
body  of  civilized  human  beings. 

Will  met  the  foremost  at  the  yard  gate,  and  a  parley  en- 
sued—  loud  and  insolent  on  one  side  —  respectful  on  the  other. 
After  the  exchange  of  half  a  dozen  sentences,  the  negro  stood 
aside,  and  the  calvalcade  streamed  into  the  yard. 

"  Is  there  no  white  person  on  the  premises?"  demanded  the 
leader,  as  he  sprang  to  the  frozen  ground  with  a  prodigious 
clatter  of  sword  and  spurs. 

"  Only  the  children  of  my  master  and  mistress,  who  are  ab- 
sent from  home  at  this  time,"  "Will  replied,  dignifiedly,  muster- 
ing his  best  English  for  the  occasion. 

Elinor  smiled  amusedly  at  the  adroit  answer. 

"  One  might  suppose  us  to  be  under  Carrie's'  age  !  " 

The  front  door  was  opened,  and  the  lower  story  filled  with  a 
disorderly,  loud-stepping,  loud-swearing  crowd. 

"  Hark  I "  said  Elinor,  as  a  blow  and  jingle  arose  above 
the  din  of  coarse  voices.  "  That  must  be  the  large  parlor- 
mirror  ! " 

Another  crash  —  blending  the  discordant  wail  of  many  musi- 
cal chords,  violently  smitten.  Still  another  —  and  she  clutched 
my  hand. 

"  They  are  breaking  the  piano  to  pieces  !  What  will  they 
do  next?" 

Affairs  were  assuming  a  serious  complexion.      All  former 


SUNNYBANK.  385 

visitors,  of  whatever  political  creed,  were  lambs  in  gentleness 
beside  this  turbulent  crew.  The  ring  and  rattle  of  crockery 
and  glass,  dashed  to  the  floor  and  hurled  through  the  windows, 
followed  ;  then  the  duller  "  thud"  of  falling  chairs  and  tables  ; 
the  shouting,  the  riotous  laughter,  and  horrible  babel  of  oaths 
waxing  more  deafening  the  while.  Carrie  had  crept  into  Elinor's 
arms,  and  buried  her  face  in  her  bosom.  The  elder  sister, 
pale  as  a  ghost,  yet  controlled  features  and  voice,  and  tried  to 
allay  the  child's  fears. 

"  Oh  !  if  Papa  and  Mamma  would  come  home,  and  drive  these 
horrid  men  away  !  "  sobbed  Carrie,  in  a  paroxysm  of  fright  and 
anger. 

"  It  is  better  that  they  should  not  be  here,  darling !  All 
this  would  only  distress  them.     They  could  not  hinder  it." 

Heavy  feet  were  trampling  up  the  stairs  ;  the  turmoil  raged 
along  the  halls  to  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  we  were. 

There  Will's  slow,  determined  accents  said,  "  This  is  the 
chamber  where  my  master's  children  are  !  There's  no  arms, 
nor  money,  nor  silver  in  here  !     Will  you  please  to  pass  on  ?  " 

"  Stand  back,  you  old  fool !  "  vociferated  a  drunken  voice, 
and  a  scuffle  had  begun  against  the  very  panels,  w^hen  Elinor 
arose  from  the  chair  whereon  she  had  seated  herself,  when  she 
lifted  Carrie,  and,  holding  the  child  by  the  hand,  walked  across 
the  floor,  and  unlocked  the  door. 

"  You  can  come  in,  gentlemen,  and  search  for  w^hatever  you 
desire.  We  w^ill  leave  the  room  to  you.  But,  as  we  are  two 
defenceless  girls,  and  have,  besides,  the  care  of  this  little  child, 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  will  set  apart  another  chamber 
for  our  use,  where  we  shall  not  be  interrupted  during  our  parents' 
absence." 

To  save  my  throat  from  the  knife,  I  could  not  have  spoken 
thus,  confronting,  as  she  did,  the  throng  of  lowering  faces  that 
blocked  up  the  entrance  and  the  hall  beyond.  Old  Will  was  at 
her  side  instantly  ;  picked  up  Carrie,  and  stood  ready  to  accom- 
pany them.  To  be  candid,  I  had  shivers  of  physical  fear  pinch- 
ing up  my  flesh,  and  thrilling  every  joint  of  my  spinal  verte- 
33 


Q 


86  SUNNYBAKK. 


brcc.  I  would  have  giTen  all  my  chances  and  hopes  of  worldly 
aggrandizement  for  a  snug  covert  in  the  trackless  swamp  to 
which  Will  had  scornfully  directed  his  timorous  scout.  Those 
nearest  the  door  recoiled  instinctively  upon  the  next  following, 
and  these  pressed  backward  toward  the  staircase,  causing  an 
immense  deal  of  grumbling  and  swearing  among  the  impatient 
patriots  tliere  collected. 

"Take  them  to  the  dining-room,  Sambo!"  said  a  fellow, 
with  straps  upon  his  shoulders,  and,  I  inferred  from  this,  an 
officer  in  the  noble  band.     "  We're  through  in  there  ! " 

A  laugh  —  a  genuine  guffaw  —  ran  through  the  crowd,  but 
they  opened  their  ranks,  and  let  us  pass  in  Uncle  Will's  track, 
as  he  bore  Carrie  down  the  staircase.  We  entered  into  the 
meaninsr  of  the  officer's  witticism  when  we  reached  the  haven 
he  had  designated.  The  sideboard  doors  were  split  into  bits 
like  splinters  of  firewood,  as  were  those  of  the  fine  old  beaufet 
and  the  mirror  set  above  these  —  an  heirloom,  greatly  prized  in 
the  family  ;  there  was  not  a  whole  chair  left,  and  from  end  to 
end  of  the  table  was  a  crack  made  by  the  stroke  of  an  axe. 
The  air  came  frostily  through  the  broken  panes ;  table  linen, 
cutlery,  and  crockery  bestrewed  the  floor ;  pots  of  preserves, 
jellies,  and  pickles  had  been  taken  from  the  adjoining  store- 
room, and  their  contents  either  flung  away,  or  smeared,  in  a 
spirit  of  wanton  destruction,  over  the  wainscotted  walls.  While 
we  stood  transfixed,  surveying  the  scene  of  barbarous  spolia- 
tion, the  door  was  pushed  rudely  back,  and  a  man  glanced  in. 
He  was  dressed  like  an  officer  of  rank,  and  was,  in  fact,  as  we 
soon  learned,  the  chief  in  command  of  the  gallant  troop.  His 
beetle  brows  met  in  a  frown  as  he  espied  us ;  but  instantly 
comprehending  what  was  the  character  of  the  group  gathered 
thus  forloroiy  in  the  desolate  apartment,  he  showed  his  teeth 
under  his  bushy  mustache  in  what  he  meant  for  a  reassuring 
smile. 

"  Soho  —  my  worthy  Snowball !  "  he  said,  thickly,  by  reason 
of  an  overcharge  of  liquor  and  a  foreign  accent.  "  These  arc 
the  children  you  spoke  of?     You  deserve  one  rope's  end  for 


SUNNYBANK.  387 

slandering  such  deuced  handsome  women  !  Ladies,  make  your- 
selves easy.  You  shall  not  be  molested  in  your  retirement.  I 
will  myself  be  your  guard.'* 

Thereupon  he  planted  himself  upon  the  hearth,  his  back  to 
the  fire ;  put  his  hands  under  his  coat-tails,  and  fell  to  whis- 
tling and  staring  at  us.  There  had  accompanied  us  into  the 
room  old  Rachel,  bent  upon  keeping  her  nurslings  in  sight,  and 
four  or  five  other  women,  scared  out  of  their  wits,  or  moved  by 
a  feelinor  of  devotion  to  their  master's  children.  Insfratitude  is 
the  crying  sin  of  the  negro  race.  We  have  too  many  exem- 
plifications of  this  in  these  times  to  question  the  truth  of  the 
oft-reiterated  saying.  On  most  of  the  surrounding  plantations, 
the  venal  wretches  turn  informers  so  soon  as  the  Yankees 
appear  —  assisting  zealously  in  the  disinterment  of  the  treasures 
they  have  helped  their  confiding  masters  bury ;  stripping  the 
families,  that  have  counted  them  as  a  part  of  their  number  for 
generations,  of  every  piece  of  plate,  every  trinket,  and,  in  some 
cases,  taking  the  last  mouthful  of  bread  and  meat  from  the  lips 
of  the  foster-children  who  were  dandled  in  their  arms,  and  who, 
in  babyhood,  hung  at  their  breasts.  The  Sunnybank  servants 
have  proved  miraculously  faithful  among  the  many  faithless  of 
their  color  and  station.  I  attribute  this  less  to  their  attach- 
ment to  their  master  and  mistress,  than  to  the  influence  of  old 
"Will  and  Rachel,  and  the  superstitious  reverence  with  which 
the  pair  have  contrived  to  inspire  their  disciples.  Fidelity  to 
their  owners  has  been  inculcated  simultaneously  with  the  duty 
of  obedience  to  the  Lord,  whom  they  worship  blindly,  as  did 
their  forefathers  their  Oboe  and  Fetish.  ''  My  heavenly  Mars- 
ter  first !  My  earthly  marster  next !  "  is  one  of  Will's  senten- 
tious rules  ;  and  woe  betide  the  unlucky  wight  who  transgresses 
this  tenet  of  his  faith  ! 

It  was  incumbent  upon  him,  as  his  terrestrial  lord's  unworthy 
substitute,  to  look  first  after  the  safety  of  his  young  mistresses  ; 
secondly,  to  protect  the  property  whenever  he  could.  Commit- 
ting us  to  Rachel's  care,  he  sallied  forth,  leaving  us  huddled 
miserably  together  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  unable  to  escape 


388  SUNNYBANK. 

the  impudent  stare  of  our  "  guard,"  but  keeping  at  a  decent  dis- 
tance from  him.  Fussy  old  Rachel  bustled  about  us,  with 
cloaks  and  hoods,  bundling  us  up  until  we  looked  like  Laplanders 
bound  upon  a  sledding  frolic.  She  muttered  incessantly, — 
phrases  of  endearment  and  consolation,  mingled  with  uncompli- 
mentary comments  upon  the  "  herd  of  cattle,"  as  she  styled 
them  —  who  were  wasting  the  home  she  held  in  such  pride. 
The  officer  overheard  as  much  as  he  liked  of  this,  and  she  did 
not  care  if  he  did.  I  suspect  she  intended  most  of  her  remarks 
for  his  edification.  By  and  by,  he  laughed  and  swore  at  her 
in  a  breath. 

"  You  are  one  great  blockhead  !     We  are  your  best  fnends." 

"  Then  I  hope  and  pray  the  Lord  never  to  let  me  ketch  sight 
of  my  worst !  "  she  retorted. 

"  Hush,  Mammy  !  "  said  Elinor.  "  We  cannot  help  ourselves, 
but  we  can  bear  our  wrongs  in  silence." 

"  Which  of  these  young  ladies  hopes  to  marry  a  Rebel  Major 
in  two  days  ?  "  interrogated  the  officer,  impertinently,  still  show- 
ing his  teeth. 

"  I  expect  to,  sir !  "  replied  Elinor,  with  real  dignity,  eying 
him  firmly. 

"  Your  father  is  a  very  good  Union  man  —  is  this  so?" 

"  He  is  so  called,  sir  !  " 

"  That  is  one  old  trick ! "  said  the  fellow,  wrinkling  up  his 
nose  in  an  ugly  sneer.  "  Ah !  it  is  well !  We  levy  upon 
both   parties   in   that  we   forage   for  supplies  here.     Do  you 


see 


9" 


Elinor  vouchsafed  no  reply  ;  only  turned  her  face  again  to- 
ward the  window,  and  gazed  at  the  line  of  bleak  hills  ;  the  leaf- 
less forests  crowning  them ;  the  cold,  blue  sky. 

An  Aid-de-camp  entered,  at  length,  and  held  a  low,  excited 
dialogue  with  his  superior,  of  which  little  reached  us  except 
the  profanity.  Waving  his  comrade  to  remain  in  the  back- 
ground, the  Colonel,  or  Major  —  I  do  not  recollect  his  precise 
rank  —  advanced  toward  us. 

"  See  !  "  he  said,  angrily.     "  My  business  here  is  to  search 


SUNNYBANK.  389 

for  arms  and  horses.  Rebels  have  no  right  to  hold  weapons, 
and  my  troop  want  good  horses.  My  men  find  nothing  worth 
carrying  off.  There  are  but  two  old  plough-horses  in  the  stable. 
I  will  have  more.  The  owner  of  this  plantation  has  somewhere 
cattle  and  silver.     Where  ?  " 

"  If  I  knew,  I  should  have  no  right  to  give  up  my  father's 
property  into  your  hands,"  returned  Elinor,  tranquilly. 

"  There  is  a  way  of  finding  these  things  out !  "  suggested  the 
ofiicious  Aid.  "  If  that  old  rascal  of  a  nigger,  who  gives  him- 
self such  airs,  were  tied  up  by  the  thumbs  and  flogged  for  an 
hour,  we  should  hear  of  something  to  our  advantage." 

Elinor  quailed.  She  shook  from  head  to  foot,  and  her  lips 
took  a  bluish  pallor.  Then  the  fire  of  the  Ross  and  the  indom- 
itable firmness  of  the  Lacy  returned  to  eye  and  feature. 

"  You  say  you  are  the  colored  people's  best  friend  !  "  she  an- 
swered. "  The  shame  of  such  a  deed  would  follow  you  farther 
and  faster  than  would  the  murder  of  ten  white  men  or  women. 
Your  Government  has  no  quarrel  with  our  servants.  It  pro- 
tects them ! " 

I  had  never  heard  the  least  approach  to  censure  of  the  Fed- 
eral authorities  from  her  until  this  implied  reproach  was  uttered 
in  mild  mournfulness  that  would  have  appealed  irresistibly  to 
the  heart  of  a  true  Unionist.     The  hireling  brutes  laughed. 

"  By  Jove  !  she  is  two  thirds  right !  We  must  keep  our 
hands  off  the  nioforer  !  "  said  the  Aid,  who  looked  and  talked  like 
a  Yankee.     "  More's  the  pity  !  " 

"  Do  you  know,  bold  young  woman  ! "  resumed  the  chief, 
again  sneering  vilely,  "  that  I  could  kill  you  for  not  telling 
me  what  I  want  to  hear?" 

"  I  do  !  " 

"  And  what  if  I  say  I  will  do  it,  unless  you  show  me  where 
are  hid  your  plate  and  your  horses  ?  " 

"  Then  you  can  kill  me  !  " 

She  did  not  flinch  now,  although  Rachel  threw  her  arms 
about  her  witli  a  cry  of  rage,  horror,  and  pity.  She  was  so 
small  and  slight,  as  she  faced  him  —  he,  so  huge  and  bloated 


300  SUxNNYBAXK. 

that  I  could  not  but  liken  them  to  a  humming-bird  and  a  vul- 
ture. Her  spirit  was  the  braver  of  the  two.  He  withdrew 
his  insolent  g-aze  with  a  louder  lau";h  and  stron;]^er  oath.  He 
swore  that  she  was  "  pluck !  game  to  the  back-bone,  and  ought 
to  have  a  better  husband  than  a  Grayback !  "  and  walked  back 
to  his  Aid  at  the  fireplace. 

At  this,  the  moment  of  her  victory,  Elinor  espied  —  what  my 
siglit  had  caught  a  second  earlier  —  the  figure  of  a  man,  walk- 
ing rapidly  up  the  main  alley  of  the  garden.  He  was  in  citi- 
zen's dress,  and  his  hat  was  slouched  over  his  brows  ;  but  we 
both  recognized  the  springing  step,  the  lithe,  elegant  figure.  I 
saw  through  it  all  at  a  flash.  Rolf  had  eq-uipped  himself  in 
this  garb  upon  several  previous  visits  —  a  token  of  consideration 
of  his  betrothed's  dislike  to  warlike  accoutrements.  On  this 
forenoon  he  had,  in  nearing  the  plantation,  discovered  who  were 
our  guests,  and  avoided  them  by  striking  into  a  bridle-path 
leading  through  the  woods  at  the  rear  of  the  house.  He  had 
tied  his  horse  in  the  underbrush,  and  having  probably  learned 
that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lacy  were  not  at  home,  distracted  by  ap- 
prehensions regarding  Elinor's  safety,  he  had  determined. to 
protect  her  in  person.  He  would  hardly  be  assaulted  were  his 
real  character  to  remain  unknown  ;  and  for  this  he  trusted  to  the 
known  sagacity  and  fidelity  of  the  negroes.  It  was  a  mad  enter- 
prise, worthy  of  a  lunatic  or  a  lover. 

I  passed  my  arm  involuntarily  around  Elinor,  and  drew  her 
up  to  me  —  not  in  womanly  sympathy,  but  to  remind  her  of  the 
need  of  silence  and  self-command.  Rolf  had  his  hand  upon  the 
garden-gate  when  a  voice  shouted  to  him,- — 

"  Halt  there  !  " 

It  was  a  sentinel,  who  had  been  stationed  in  the  back  porch, 
directly  under  our  window.  Rolf  had  unlatched  the  gate,  and 
pushed  it  outwards.  As  it  swung  open,  he  threw  up  his  arms, 
as  a  signal  of  surrender,  or  to  show  that  he  was  empty-handed. 
Simultaneously  with  this  gesture,  the  report  of  a  musket  rent  our 
ears,  and  the  unarmed  man  fell  heavily  backward.  One  wild, 
woful  shriek  burst  from  Elinor's  lips,  and  she  had  thrown  up  the 


SUNNYBANK.  391 

window  and  darted  into  the  porch.  The  sentinel  cheeked  her 
there  ;  seizing  her  arm  and  asking,  with  a  demoniac  grin,  what 
she  "  wanted  with  a  dead  Rebel." 

"  Let  her  go  !  "  called  the  lesser  fiend  —  the  superior  officer. 

When  I  joined  her,  she  had  raised  her  lover's  head  in  her 
arms,  and  was  pressing  her  hand  hard  over  the  wound  in  his 
breast,  the  bright-red  blood  spouting  up  between  her  fingers. 
He  spoke  but  once.  All  that  was  audible  then  was  "  Darling !  " 
and  "  forgive  ! " 

And  as  the  dying  eyes  lost  their  hold  of  hers,  and  the  blood 
gushed  from  his  lips,  I  remembered  how  he  had  said,  "  One 
wouldn't  mind  a  bullet  in  the  heart  or  brain  so  much,  after  all, 
if  he  could  die  upon  her  arm,  her  glorious  eyes  shining  down 
into  his  ! " 

It  was  all  over  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  me  to  write  ten 
lines.  Not  five  minutes  had  elapsed  from  our  first  glimpse  of 
him,  when  Will  and  three  other  serving-men  lifted  the  lifeless 
body,  carried  it  into  the  house,  and  laid  it  upon  the  table  in  the 
dining-room.  Elinor  did  not  swoon.  I  Avished  she  would,  in- 
stead of  keeping  her  stand  beside  that  still  warm  clay,  with  her 
blood-streaked  dress  and  death-like  face,  while  Will  opened  the 
vest  and  felt  if  the  heart  fluttered  yet.  The  commanding  officer 
stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  table,  and  eyed  the  movements  of 
the  servants  in  tipsy  curiosity. 

"  Come  with  me,  my  poor  lamb  !  "  sobbed  Rachel,  plucking 
at  her  young  mistress'  sleeve.  "  You  can't  do  him  no  good, 
now.  The  Lord  has  him,  honey,  and  He  is  mercifuller  than 
man  !  " 

The  murderer-in-chief  appeared  to  regard  this  as  an  imputa- 
tion upon  his  humanity. 

"  Upon  my  word.  Miss  Lacy,"  he  said,  clumsily,  "  I  swear 
I  am  sorry  this  thing  has  happened !  You  must  excuse  my 
poor  fellows.    It  is  a  cold  day,  and  they  have  been  drinking  !  "  * 

Elinor  fastened  her  large  eyes  upon  him  —  a  weary,  passion- 

*  A  true  incident,  even  to  the  oflacer's  language. 


392  sun>;sbake:. 

less  stare  that  ought  to  have  frozen  his  veins  ;  then  raised  her 
hand  and  pointed  to  the  door.  The  brawny  ruffian  motioned  to 
his  Aid,  and  the  two  skulked  out.  Shortly  afterward,  we  heard 
the  shrill  bugle-call  to  the  saddle,  and  the  house  was  free  of  the 
horde. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lacy  returned  after  dark,  not  having  encoun- 
tered a  Yankee  trooper,  on  their  route,  going  or  returning.  If 
the  morning  had  been  busy,  the  afternoon  was  busier.  The  last 
blue-coat  was  hardly  out  of  sight,  when  Will  rallied  his  forces 
to  the  work  of  restoration.  The  night  closed  in,  freezing  cold, 
the  wind  having  risen  again  about  noon.  Broken  panes  were 
pasted  over  with  paper  and  rags  ;  the  freshly  scoured  floors 
dried  by  enormous  fires  ;  the  debris  of  the  various  rooms  re- 
moved ;  some  of  the  least  injured  furniture  repaired,  and  neatly 
re-arranged.  One  apartment  alone  was  made  clean  and  bare, 
and  left  fireless,  the  wind  wliistling  shrilly  through  the  closed 
shutters  and  unglazed  sashes.  Rachel  Avas  the  last  to  withdraw 
when  all  was  done,  and  she  locked  the  door.  The  table,  with 
its  burden,  was  covered  with  a  fair,  white  sheet ;  the  oaken  floor- 
ing, lately  slippery  with  gore,  was  washed.  These  homely  ser- 
vices were  the  utmost  tokens  of  respect  and  aflTection  which  the 
simple-hearted  dependants  could  render  to  the  almost  bridegroom 
of  their  idolized  young  mistress.  Old  Will  planted  himself 
outside  the  locked  door,  with  the  stern  resolution  of  a  Roman 
guard,  and  did  not  quit  his  post  until  his  master  and  mistress 
entered  the  house.  Rachel  had  met  them  in  the  outer  porch, 
and  whispering  caution,  led  them  into  the  parlor.  I  had,  an 
hour  before,  in  alarm  at  her  dilated  irids  and  rigid  features, 
administered  an  anodyne  to  Elinor.  It  had  taken  effect,  and  the 
noise  of  the  carriage-wheels  had  not  disturbed  her.  Satisfied 
that  she  slept,  I  left  her  in  charge  of  her  maid,  and  slipped, 
with  soundless  feet,  down  the  stairs.  Rachel's  tale  had  been 
told  when  I  entered.  I  read  horror  at  the  cold-blooded  brutality 
of  the  deed  in  the  visages  of  husband  and  wife,  —  but  not  the 
grief  they  might  have  been  expected  to  feel  at  the  murder  of  a 
friend  —  a  son.     I  understood,  intuitively,  what  had  been  the 


SUNNYBANK.  393 

result  of  that  day's  investigations.  My  judgment  said  that  the 
bullet  which  had  cut  short  Eolf  Kingston's  life  was  not  more 
fatal  to  his  schemes  of  earthly  happiness  than  would  have  been 
the  parents'  verdict  had  they  returned  to  find  him  the  living, 
exultant  lover  of  their  daughter.  Mrs.  Lacy  prepared  to  go  to 
Elinor's  room,  and  her  husband  exchanged  a  meaning  glance 
with  her. 

"  Not  a  word,  love  !  " 

"  Of  course  not !  "  was  her  reply. 

At  that  I  was  sure  of  what  I  had  hitherto  but  strongly  sus- 
pected. Their  subsequent  discretion  in  my  presence  was  exem- 
plary;  their  deportment,  during  the  tumult  of  consternation, 
indignation,  and  sorrow  that  attracted  half  the  county  to  Sun- 
nybank  for  the  two  days  following,  and  went  far  toward  reinstat- 
ing them  in  the  good  graces  of  their  neighbors  —  for  the  time  be- 
ing, at  any  rate.  They  attended  the  empty  shell  that  had  been 
a  man  to  its  last  resting-place  beside  his  mother  in  the  Kingston 
burying-ground  —  his  mother,  who  died  when  he  was  a  baby  ! 
Poor  woman !  she  had  better  never  borne  him,  or,  when  she 
died,  taken  him  to  her  cold  bosom  and  colder  pillow  of  earth ! 

Well !  we  laid  him  there,  and  drove  back  in  decorous  silence 
to  Sunnybank  —  the  rifled  and  desecrated  home  —  and  the 
shaken,  turbid  cup  of  daily  life  began  to  settle  into  calm  and 
clearness.  And  still  no  word  to  me — or,  so  far  as  I  could 
ascertain,  to  Elinor,  of  Colonel  Copeland  and  his  discoveries. 
Was  I  to  bear  this  —  racked  as  I  was  by  conjectures  and 
dreads?  Miss  Morris  was,  I  was  assured,  Mrs.  Lacy's  confi- 
dante, as  well  as  Elinor's  comforter.  One  night,  I  conceived 
a  scheme  for  making  myself  a  participant  in  the  coveted  secret. 
There  is  no  end  to  the  closets  in  this  house.  In  Miss  Morris' 
room  there  are  three.  The  most  spacious  of  these  has  two 
doors,  one  opening  into  her  chamber,  the  other  into  a  smaller 
one  beyond.  The  latter  is  always  kept  locked,  and  the  key  is 
one  of  a  bunch  that  hangs  beside  the  mantel  in  my  Lady's  own 
room.  I  feigned  a  headache,  and  while  the  rest  were  at  supper, 
I  possessed  myself  of  the  keys ;  tried  them,  one  after  another, 


39J:  SUNNYBANK. 

in  the  lock  I  wished  to  open ;  took  off  that  which  fitted,  and 
replaced  the  bunch  without  detection. 

It  is  the  habit  of  the  two  cronies  to  sit  for  an  hour  in  Elinor's 
chamber  before  seeking  theirs,  Mrs.  Lacy  usually  taking  her 
friend's  room  in  her  way  to  bed.  I  chose  this  time  for  en- 
tering my  hiding-place.  It  was  a  bitter  night,  the  sleet  tinkling 
fast  against  the  one  window  of  the  anteroom  as  I  crossed  it ; 
but  there  were  mountains  of  bed-clothes  upon  the  closet  shelves. 
I  appropriated  a  blanket,  and  deposited  myself  snugly  upon  the 
floor,  my  ear  to  the  inner  door.  Thanks  to  the  builders'  care- 
lessness, or  the  lapse  of  years  that  has  w^arped  the  joints  and 
shrunken  the  beams  of  this  old  edifice,  it  offers  capital  facilities 
for  eavesdropping,  as  I  have  reason  to  testify.  My  lucky  star 
ordained  that  ray  Lady  should  tarry  late  over  Miss  Morris' 
fire,  and  that  their  talk  should  run  principally  upon  the  topic  I 
would  have  chosen  above  all  others.  If  Rolf  was  crafty,  Colo- 
nel Copelaud  was  subtle.  If  the  one  had  his  spies  and  emissa- 
ries, the  other  had  his  trained  detectives  to  scent  out  the  trail 
these  tried  to  cover.  What  were  the  consecutive  steps  of  the 
lawyer-soldier's  investigation,  I  could  not  discover.  Nor  did  it 
matter  much  that  I  should.  I  gathered  that  Rolf  had  lodged 
the  information  against  Mr.  Lacy  —  not  in  person  —  but  that  he 
was  the  instigator  of  the  proceedings  against  him  whom  he  pre- 
tended to  defend  and  serve  ;  that  the  clever  but  needy  debtor 
whom  he  had  hired,  under  bonds  of  eternal  secrecy,  to  copy  a 
certain  letter  of  his  composition  into  a  presentment  of  Mr. 
Lacy's  handwriting,  had  betrayed  his  master  for  a  yet  larger 
bribe,  or  through  fear  of  exposure  and  punishment ;  that  Rolf's 
powerful  friends  at  court  had  persisted  in  their  opposition  to 
Mr.  Lacy  so  long  as  he  plied  them  —  still  not  directly  —  with 
arguments  and  proofs  tending  to  criminate  the  Unionist ;  that 
they  had  readily  changed  their  tactics  when  Major  Kingston 
made  individual  application  for  the  release  upon  parole  of  his 
future  relative.  But  why  do  I  continue  the  list  of  counts  in  the 
indictment  against  the  departed  strategist?  If  he  had  attained 
his  end&,  he  would  have  remained  a  spotless  hero  to  the  pair 


SUNNYBANK.  395 

wlio  now  named  liim  witli  loathing  and  self-accusations  of  stu- 
pidity and  negligence  in  that  they  had  become  his  dupes,  and 
pious  shudders  over  the  narrow  escape,  the  providential  preser- 
vation, of  their  darling.  He  failed,  not  because  he  was  not 
skilful  in  cunning,  but  because  the  instruments  employed  in 
furthering  his  machinations  were  of  untempered  material,  and 
another  surpassed  him  in  shrewd  sagacity.  The  unsuccessful 
are  ever  the  condemned  —  the  doubly  damned. 

I  guess  the  policy  of  her  guardians  to  be  to  let  in  the  light 
gi-adually  upon  Elinor's  ignorance  ;  to  lower  her  late  betrothed, 
inch  by  inch,  from  the  altitude  he  gained  by  his  supposed  services 
to  her  father,  and  by  his  tragical  end  while  flying  to  her  relief 
from  the  persecutions  of  her  unmannerly  guards.  For  this,  the 
final  act  of  a  life  stained  darkly  by  passion,  deceit,  and  cruelty, 
he  should  have  his  award  of  praise.  With  all  his  fauUs  he 
loved  that  girl  with  every  instinct  and  thought.  Perhaps  he 
did  not  dream  that  he  was  perilling  his  existence  for  her  sake  ; 
but  I,  who  know  him  better,  his  failings  and  his  crimes,  —  a  thou- 
sand times  better,  —  than  do  the  censorious  couple,  believe  that 
he  would  have  died  for  her  rather  than  not  live  with  her.  When 
she  hears  all  she  will  not  credit  this.  She  wall  grow  to  think 
of  him  as  her  advisers  would  have  her  do  —  to  repudiate  the 
idea  that  a  single  one  of  his  professions  was  genuine,  to  inter- 
lard her  orisons  with  ejaculations  of  thanksgiving  at  his  untime- 
ly end. 

I  had  plenty  of  leisure  for  meditation  while  Miss  Morris  pur- 
sued her  preparations  for  retiring,  and  when  in  bed,  composed 
her  nerves  and  mind  to  tranquil  slumber.  I  could  hear  her 
breathing,  and  I  muffled  mine,  lest  her  ears  should  be  as  quick. 
The  clock  had  told  two  of  the  small  hours  when  I  deserted  my 
lair,  and  limped  oiF  to  my  lawful  lodgings. 

I  was  not  comfortless.  "  All  that  a  man  hath  will  be 
give  for  his  life."  To  a  woman,  the  gem  of  reputation  —  let  it 
be  a  true  diamond  or  a  specious  brilliant  —  is  the  thing  of  price. 
I  think  of  Rolf  the  more  compassionately  that  his  downfall  has 
not  involved  me.     I  was  not  mentioned  once   in  the  fireside 


396  SUNNYBANK. 

conference.  If  I  am  to  fight  my  battle  unaided,  I  have  no 
cause  to  dread  the  explosion  of  hidden  mines.  My  future  is 
yet  in  my  own  hands.  A  woman  is  a  born  conspirator  —  a  man 
an  artificial  —  more  frequently  than  otherwise  a  bungler,  who 
ruins  himself  in  attempting  to  gain  the  pinnacle  of  his  air-castle 
by  trampling  upon  the  hearts  and  vaulting  over  the  heads  of 
others. 

Yet  —  poor  Rolf  1 


SUNNYBANK.  397 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

ELINOR. 

December  24,  1865. 

Mamma  and  I  are  left  in  charge  of  the  house  to-day.  "We 
were  busy  together  all  the  forenoon  preparing  Christmas  bas- 
kets of  provisions  and  groceries  to  be  distributed  to-mon*ow 
among  a  few  of  our  poorest  neighbors.  All  are  more  or  less 
needy,  and  the  utmost  assistance  which  our  slender  means  jus- 
tify us  in  extending  to  them  will  do  little  toward  lessening  the 
great  aggregate  of  want  and  misery.  There  will  be  no  festivi- 
ties at  Sunnybank.  The  traces  of  suffering  and  bereavement 
are  too  fresh  in  our  hearts  for  us  to  think  of  merry-making. 
But  there  will  be  Peace  !  sweetest  word  that  ever  comforted  a 
mourner's  spirit ;  that  ever  quelled  the  fierce  surges  of  national 
strife  ;  that  ever  passed  a  Saviour's  lips  !  It  thrills,  yet  soothes 
me  like  a  strain  of  celestial  music.  We,  the  dwellers  in  this 
region,  should  know  the  wealth  of  blessedness  bound  up  in  that 
little  syllable. 

Mamma,  who  is  more  easily  fatigued  than  of  yore,  is  l}^ng 
down  for  her  after-dinner  nap.  I  have  consigned  Carrie  to 
Mammy's  care,  and  spent  an  hour  in  looking  over  my  Journal. 
I  think  no  longer  of  destroying  it.  The  record  of  the  last  semi- 
decade  may  in  years  to  come  interest  others,  as  well  as  instruct 
me  in  hope,  love,  faith. 

Papa  was  given  back  to  us  the  second  week  in  January.  The 
raiders  were  here  next  day.  Then  all  was  quiet  until  the  news 
of  the  evacuation  of  the  Capital,  and  the  surrender  of  the  Grand 
Army  ran  like  wildfire  through  the  state.  The  end  had  come 
so  suddenly  that  no  one  was  ready  for  the  news  —  not  even 
those  who  had  prayed  for  the  day,  as  do  the  chosen  people  for 

34 


398  ^      SUKNYBAXK. 

their  restoration  to  the  promised  laud.  Aunt  Ellen  was  with 
us  still.  TVe  had  begged  for  her  society  while  the  shadow  of 
the  awful  event  that  clouded  our  joy  at  Papa's  return  enshroud- 
ed us.  After  the  capture  of  Richmond,  we  rejoiced,  on  her 
account,  that  she  had  yielded  to  our  persuasions.  We  had  suf- 
fered too  sorely  from  the  lawlessness  of  so-called  disciplined 
troops  not  to  tremble  at  the  imagination  of  the  military  occu- 
pation of  the  city  —  the  prize  for  which  two  mighty  hosts  had 
fought,  month  after  month,  and  year  after  year,  until  both  es- 
teemed it  impregnable.  If  not  bombarded,  until  not  one  stone 
should  be  left  upon  another  to  mark  the  site  of  the  place,  we 
believed,  as  did  the  population  of  the  doomed  town,  that  it  would 
be  sacked,  and  probably  burned. 

The  sun  arose  upon  the  3d  of  April,  through  dense  masses 
of  black  smoke  ascending  from  burning  warehouses,  where 
were  beinpr  consumed  the  hoarded  stores  for  which  a  famishin*? 
people  were  vainly  pining ;  from  arsenals,  witii  their  bursting 
shells,  and  the  louder  thunder  of  explosions  that  shook  the  seven 
hills  to  their  foundations,  and  filled  the  terrified  inhabitants  with 
dread  of  imminent  destruction  ;  from  bridges,  the  stately  piers 
of  which,  anchored  in  the  seething  current  of  the^ James,  had 
stood  for  years  among  the  proudest  ornaments  of  that  incom- 
parable river-view —  fired,  lest  the  pursuing  host  should  over- 
take the  fugitive  army.  What  sickly  light  could  pierce  this 
dreary  canopy  fell  upon  dismantled  Ibrtifications  and  desert- 
ed homesteads ;  upon  a  tumultuous  throng  of  liberated  slaves 
riotous  with  freedom,  and  laden  with  plunder  ;  upon  the  pale, 
awe-stricken  faces  of  their  late  masters,  impotent  to  prevent 
the  wasting  of  their  goods  and  the  conflagration  of  their  houses 
—  the  crowning  injury  inflicted  by  the  Government  that  to  them 
had  wrought  only  disaster  from  the  day  of  its  inauguration  until 
this  latest  hour  of  final  humiliation.  Upon  that  morning,  when 
Richmond  the  Fair,  a  queen  in  her  woe,  sat  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes ;  when  men's  hearts  were  failing  them  for  fear ;  wheu 
mothers  clasped  their  infants  to  their  breasts,  and,  kneeling  be- 
side their  virgin  daughters,  besought  the  God  they  were  ready 


sunnyba>:k.  399 

to  believe  bad  forsaken  them,  to  grant  them  the  merciful  boon 
of  instant  death  rather  than  deliverance  into  the  hands  of  the 
barbarous  invaders ;  when  the  soldiery  who  had  sworn  to  die 
in  the  last  trench  surrounding  the  beloved  citadel  had  abandoned 
her  to  her  fate ;  when  the  word-valiant  patriots,  once  coveting 
the  high  privilege  of  riding  to  their  saddle-skirts  in  Yankee 
blood,  and  each  to  oppose  his  single  arm  to  the  united  force  of 
five  of  the  hireling  robbers,  now,  forgetful  of  the  very  ties  of 
natural  affection,  leaving  their  helpless  households  behind  them, 
were  crowding  the  outgoing  thoroughfares  in  hot  and  frantic 
flight,  —  there  entered  the  burning  town  an  army,  vast  in  num- 
bers indeed,  but  in  discipline   so    perfect  that   their  progress 
through  the  streets  was  audible  only  by  the  clanking  of  iron 
heels  and  sheathed  sabres.     Looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to 
the  left,  without  the  bray  of  trumpet  or  the  triumphal  music  of 
patriotic  airs,  they  marched  in  solid  rank  to  the  quarters  ap- 
pointed by  their  leaders  ;  guards  were   set  to   protect  the  citi- 
zens against  the  depredations  of  the  freed  negroes,  or  unruly 
stragglers  ;  active,  capable  bands  were   detailed  to  extinguish 
the  flames  kindled  by  the  departing  Confederates,  and  Richmond 
enjoyed  the  first  night  of  safety  and  quiet  she  had  known  since 
Sumter  fell. 

To  my  mind  there  are  not  many  events  in  history  more 
sublime  than  this  occupation  of  the  heart  of  Kebeldom  by  the 
defenders  of  National  integrity,  the  representatives  of  National 
power. 

Our  first  thought  after  the  delightful  surprise  of  hearing  that 
our  friends  in  the  city  were  safe,  and  that  the  dreaded  foes  were 
changed  into  benignant  protectors,  was  of  our  imprisoned  boys. 
Our  postal  arrangements  were  broken  up.  We  could  neither 
send  nor  receive  letters  ;  and  this  was  no  common  privation, 
longing  as  we  were  for  tidings  of  the  missing  ones.  Aunt 
Ellen  proposed  a  remedy  for  the  grievance.  I  should  accom- 
pany her  to  Richmond,  and  try  every  method  of  establishing 
communication  with  Fort  Delaware,  or,  at  all  events,  v/ith 
Uncle  Charley.     Agatha  sued  for  the  privilege  of  going  with 


400  SUNNYBANK. 

US  with  an  earnestness  of  importunity  which  I  ascribed  to  her 
solicitude  on  Lynn's  behalf.  Aunt  Ellen's  insuperable  aversion 
to  her  could  not  blind  her  to  the  evident  agony  of  expectation 
Agatha  underwent  as  the  hour  drew  near  at  which  Carleton 
Dana,  who  officiated  as  our  postman,  was  accustomed  to  bring 
in  letters.  She  would  quit  her  lookout  at  the  chamber  or  par- 
lor window  at  the  first  glimpse  of  him,  fly  down  to  the  door, 
seize  upon  the  packet,  —  if  packet  there  were,  —  and  bring  it  in  to 
us  with  a  countenance  that  told,  before  she  opened  her  lips,  what 
had  been  the  issue  of  that  day's  waiting.  At  last  she  entered 
to  us,  breathless  and  beaming,  holding  aloft  three  letters  — 
one  for  me  from  Ross,  one  from  Lynn  to  herself,  the  third  from 
Uncle  Charley  to  Papa.  They  were  safe  and  well ;  they  had 
signified  their  willingness  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance ;  they 
hoped  to  be  with  us  shortly.  This  was  the  sum  and  substance 
of  Ross'  epistle.  I  did  not  see  Lynn's  ;  but  Agatha  said,  with 
a  smile  and  a  blush,  "  that  I  would  learn  nothing  more 
from  it  than  I  had  done  from  his  brother's."  I  did  not  open 
Papa's.  Since  the  fearful  lesson  I  had  learned  from  a  former 
liberty  of  this  kind,  I  had  recoiled  from  breaking  open  an  en- 
velope directed  to  another.  I  put  it  away  carefully  instead, 
hoping  for  an  early  opportunity  of  sending  it  to  Sunnybank  by 
private  hand.  Such  offered  four  days  later,  but  the  letter  had 
disappeared  !  In  vain  I  ransacked  the  drawer  wherein  I  thought 
I  had  laid  it,  and  extended  the  search  to  every  other  in  the 
bureau  ;  in  vain  interrogated  each  person  in  the  household  ;  in 
vain  cross-questioned  my  memory,  to  determine  whether  I  had 
deceived  myself  as  to  the  place  of  deposit  —  the  fact  of  its  dis- 
appearance was  so  stubborn,  and  my  impressions  of  the  locality 
wherein  I  had  last  seen  it  grew  so  vague :  it  was  nowhere  to 
be  found !  I  could  do  nothing  except  write  a  note  to  enclose 
with  Ross',  telling  Papa  of  the  loss  I  had  sustained,  and  my 
regret  that  I  had  suffered  my  ultra-fastidious  or  superstitious 
scruples  to  prevent  me  from  making  myself  mistress  of  the  con- 
tents upon  its  arrival. 

Then  we  bejran  to  watch  for  the  couiins:  of  our  beloved  broth- 


SUNNYBANK.  401 

ers,  as  we  had  done  for  their  letters.  Aunt  Dana  heard  from 
her  brother-in-law,  as  did  Carleton  ;  but  he  wrote  respecting 
business  affairs,  referring  incidentally  to  the  circumstance  that 
he  designed  making  direct,  special  application  for  the  release  of 
the  captives.  Thus  a  fortnight  went  over.  It  is  a  weary  time 
when  one  lives  by  the  hour.  One  bland  evening  in  May,  when 
we  were  gathered  about  the  open  parlor  windows,  a  carriage 
stopped  at  the  door  ;  slow  footsteps  came  up  into  the  porch  ;  a 
pass-key  clicked  in  the  lock  ;  and  we  rushed  into  the  hall.  Un- 
cle Charley  and  Ross  were  there,  and  supported  between  them 
was  another  figure.  Could  that  bowed,  wan  man  be  my  once 
erect  and  handsome  brother  Lynn  ? 

He  tried  to  raise  his  head.  He  did  say,  "  Agatha  !  "  then 
he  fainted. 

We  left  him  alone  with  Agatha,  when  he  revived  sufficiently 
to  know  and  speak  to  us.  From  Ross  we  heard  that  his  brother 
had  taken  a  violent  cold  ten  days  prior  to  his  release,  w^hich 
resulted  in  serious  illness,  aggravated  by  homesickness.  When, 
in  repl}^  to  his  importunate  queries,  Ross  confessed  that  the 
order  for  their  liberation  had  arrived,  the  restlessness  of  the 
invalid  knew  no  bounds. 

"  One  breath  of  Virginia  air !  one  glimpse  of  dear  old  Sun- 
nybank !  one  kiss  from  Mother,  Agatha,  and  Brownie,  and  I 
am  content  to  die  !  "  was  his  cry. 

"  Removal  may  be  fatal,"  said  the  surgeon. 

"Can  he  recover  here?"  asked  Uncle  Charley,  who  had 
joined  his  adopted  nephews,  meaning  to  accompany  them 
home. 

"  It  is  more  than  doubtful,"  the  surgeon  answered.  "  Cer- 
tiiinly  not,  unless  we  succeed  in  calming  him." 

They  brought  him  around  by  steamer,  avoiding  thus  the 
fatigue  and  changes  of  the  land  route.  He  was  lifted  into  the 
carriage  at  the  wharf,  but  when  he  reached  the  well-remembered 
door,  he  would  stand  and  try  to  walk. 

"  Nothing  but  his  invincible    resolution   to    see   home    and 
friends  once  more  has  kept  him  up,"  said  Ross.     "  It  is  out  of 
34* 


402  SUNNYBANK. 

the  question  to  tliiuk  of  transporting  him  to  Siinnybank.  A 
trusty  messenger  has  already  been  sent  forward  with  an  account 
of  his  situation.  If  all  goes  well  on  his  journey  and  on  theirs, 
we  may  expect  Father  and  Mother  to-morrow  night." 

Aunt  Ellen  and  I  watched  by  Lynn's  bedside  until  morning. 
He  suffered  little,  but  several  times  I  thought  him  dying  from 
weakness,  so  faint  was  his  breathing,  so  feeble  his  pulse.  Even 
at  these  seasons,  the  dark  eyes  followed  us  with  a  happy  light 
shining  within  them ;  upon  the  pallid  face  rested  a  smile  of  in- 
effable content.  Agatha  staid  with  us  until  one  o'clock,  when 
her  lagging  step  and  heavy  eyelids  admonished  me  that  one  of 
her  neuralgic  attacks  would  be  the  price  of  her  vigil,  and  we 
persuaded  her  to  lie  down  in  the  adjoining  room. 

"  I  shall  not  forget  how  near  you  are  to  me,  dearest !  "  he 
said,  in  seconding  my  entreaties,  and  Aunt  Ellen's  more  imper- 
ative orders.  Poor  Aunt  Ellen !  she  never  had  much  patience 
with  Agatha,  and  on  this  occasion  she  was  unusually  energetic 
in  her  attempts  to  get  rid  of  her.  Lynn  thanked  her  for  her 
care  of  his  betrothed,  and  I  saw  her  wince.  It  hurt  her  to 
receive  the  unmerited  praise,  yet  this  was  not  the  time  for  the 
avowal  that  the  si^rht  of  the  "-raceful  form  hannjin^r  over  "  her 
boy's "  pillow  detracted  grievously  from  the  satisfaction  she 
would  otherwise  have  felt  in  nursing  him. 

The  best  medical  assistance  which  the  city  afforded  was  sum- 
moned promptly.  There  were  three  consultations  of  physicians 
held  during  the  next  day,  the  last  at  evening.  Their  opinion 
was  unanimous.  We  must  give  him  up.  Long-mourned, 
hardly  restored  to  our  embraces,  —  he  would  soon,  very  soon, 
leave  us  forever.  At  midnight,  Papa  and  Mamma  arrived. 
Lynn  was  first  to  notice  the  distant  rumble  of  the  carriage  upon 
the  quiet  pavements.  As  it  stopped  at  our  door,  he  folded  his 
hands  and  closed  his  eyes  ;  his  lips  moved  in  silent  prayer.  It 
was  like  —  "  Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace!" 
"When  Mamma  drew  his  head  to  her  breast,  the  rest  of  us  fell 
back.     Her  claim  in  that  honest  hour  was  before  all  others. 

"  My  boy  !  "  she  said,  with  a  smile  of  unearthly  beauty  ;  and 


SUNNYBANE.  403 

he  answered  as  lie  had  done  in  his  childish  illnesses,  "  Mamma, 
dear  !  it  is  good  to  have  you  hold  me." 

His  head  nestled  upon  no  other  pillow  while  he  lived.  Others 
might  put  the  cup  to  his  lips,  bathe  his  face,  and  adjust  the 
coverings  of  his  bed.  "  Mamma  must  hold  him."  The  day 
was  breaking  when  the  unrest  the  doctors  had  predicted  as  the 
forerunner  of  dissolution  overtook  him.  He  stirred  nneasily, 
tossed  his  arms  from  side  to  side,  and  muttered  brokenly  in  his 
slumber.     Yet  he  was  rational  when  he  awoke. 

"  Mamma  !  "  still  the  old  pet  name  —  "  am  I  going?  " 

"  I  fear  so,  my  darling !  " 

"  But  not  alone  !  You  will  be  comforted  by  this —  will  you 
not?" 

"  It  is  my  only  comfort,  my  son.  His  rod  and  staff  are  a 
sure  support." 

He  bade  us  farewell  sweetly  and  calmly.  When  Mamma 
would  have  withdrawn  a  little  as  Agatha  approached,  he  re- 
strained her  with  the  invariable  petition,  "  Hold  me.  Mamma 
—  please  ! " 

"  We  might  have  been  very  happy  together  if  God  had  let 
me  live !  "  he  said  to  his  betrothed.  "  For  I  love  you,  and  you 
have  been  true  as  the  sun  to  me,  dear.  Father  —  Mamma  — 
you  will  be  kind  to  this  poor  child  when  I  am  gone,  because  of 
her  love  for  me  !  " 

Agatha  slid  from  his  encircling  arms  to  the  floor,  kneeling, 
or  rather  crouching  there,  her  face  buried  in  the  coverlet  until 
the  sad  scene  was  over.  When  Aunt  Ellen's  turn  came,  he 
drew  her  down  to  him,  and  kissed  her  affectionately. 

"  I  shall  see  hini  sooner  than  you  will !  I  shall  have  much 
to  tell  him  about  you  —  my  second  mother  !  " 

His  mind  began  to  wander  slightly.  He  fancied,  for  an 
instant,  that  he  w^as  at  Sunnybauk. 

"  I  hear  the  robins  sing,  and  I  smell  the  locust  blossoms. 
The  trees  are  white  with  them.  Do  you  know.  Mamma,  dear, 
that  I  had  not  seen  a  flower  since  I  was  captured  until  Harry 
Wilton  brought  me  a  basketful  —  mignonette,  and  violets,  and 


404  SCr:^NYi5ANK. 

heliotrope?  They  were  like  a  gift  from  the  gardens  of 
Heaven  !  "  He  opened  his  eyes,  which  had  been  half  shut  in 
his  dream.  "  I  should  like  to  say  farewell  to  Harry  !  He  has 
been  very  kind  to  me.  But  for  him  I  should  not  be  in  your 
arms  now,  Mamma  !  I  was  his  enemy,  and  in  prison,  and  he 
visited  me.     I  wish  I  could  thank  him  once  more  !  " 

Why  did  Aunt  Ellen  put  her  arm  around  me  to  lead  me  from 
the  room  ?  Why  did  Agatha  shake  as  with  an  ague  fit  ?  What 
meant  the  glances  of  embarrassment,  doubt,  inquiry,  which 
others  bent  upon  me,  unless  that  they  feared  lest  these  incohe- 
rent murmurings  might  disturb  the  equanimity  I  ought  to  main- 
tain while  he  could  be  distressed  by  any  show  of  emotion?  I 
quietly  resisted  the  impulse  of  Aunt  Ellen's  kindly  embrace. 

"  I  will  stay  here  !  "  I  said.     "  I  see  how  ifc  is." 

I  believe  it  was  Ross  Avho  stole  so  softly  from  the  room,  that 
I  did  not  remark  his  absence.  But  at  a  movement  in  the  door- 
way, and  a  slight  change  in  the  several  positions  of  those  sur- 
rounding the  bed,  I  glanced  up  from  the  face  of  my  dying 
brother,  and  saw  my  Harry's  ghost !  He  was  older  and  sadder 
looking  than  at  our  parting  ;  there  were  unfamiliar  lines  in  the 
forehead  and  about  the  compressed  lips,  and,  here  and  there,  a 
silver  thread  in  his  hair ;  he  was  ashy  pale,  and  his  eyes  full 
of  grief —  still  he  was  my  Harry,  for  all  these  changes.  But 
he  never  looked  at  me  !  Inclining  his  head  in  respectful  salu- 
tation to  all  as  he  entered,  he  passed  to  Lynn's  side,  and  grasped 
the  poor,  thin  hands  in  his. 

"  Thank  you  for  letting  me  come  !  "  he  said,  huskily.  "  I 
shall  never  forget  it !  " 

"  I  could  not  die  in  peace  without  seeing  you  again !  "  was 
the  reply.  "  There  has  been  a  great  mistake  somewhere, 
Harry !  We  should  never  have  fought  against  one  another. 
1  thought  I  was  right.  You  believed  honestly  that  you  were 
doing  your  duty.     Ah,  well !     God  knows  !  " 

"It  is  over  now ! "  said  Harry,  gently.  "  Let  our  dead 
Past  bury  its  dead.     We  will  look  forward  !  " 

I  lost  not  a  word  of  all  this.     I  did  not  faint,  but  I  seemed 


SUNNYBANK.  405 

changed  to  stone.  Only  my  startled  brain  was  preternaturally 
active,  and  teemed  with  ghostly  fancies.  We  had  gone  with 
Lynn  to  the  verge  of  the  dark  river,  and  a  pitying  spirit  had 
crossed  over  from  the  other  side  to  convoy  him  through  the 
chill  waters.  Or  were  we  all  shades  together?  Or  was  this 
apparition  and  the  greeting  between  him  and  his  late  foe  the 
trick  of  a  disordered  imagination  ?  Had  I  gone  mad  at  last  ? 
Aunt  Ellen  has  told  me  since  that  I  betrayed  none  of  these 
thronging  conjectures  in  my  features  ;  that  I  stood  perfectly 
still,  my  hands  clasped  on  the  head-board  of  the  bed,  and  gazed 
steadily  —  she  could  have  thought  unfeelingly  —  upon  the  two 
friends.  When  the  farewell  words  were  spoken,  the  last  hand- 
clasp loosened,  and  Harry  left  the  room,  I  passed  my  hand 
over  my  eyes  as  if  to  sweep  away  a  mist,  looked  up  at  her,  and 
smiled. 

Our  Lynn  died  that  evening  without  pain  or  struggle. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  could  sleep  now,"  he  said  drowsily  and  indis- 
tinctly.    ''  Hold  me,  Mamma  !  " 

And  while  he  was  speaking,  his  spirit  escaped  from  her  lov- 
ing arms. 

Beyond  this  scene  I  recall  nothing  clearly  until  I  stood  over 
his  grave,  and  read  little  Morton's  name  upon  the  headstone 
of  the  next  mound.  Like  a  whisper  from  an  Eternity  past, 
there  floated  over  my  memory  w^ords  once  fitly  spoken  upon 
this  spot. 

"  He  is  safe.  "Whatever  may  befall  her  other  sons,  our 
Mother  has  felt  the  last  pang  of  solicitude  she  can  ever  know 
on  account  of  him  who  sleeps  here  !  " 

I  cried  aloud,  "  Thank  God  !  "  and  the  hot,  heaving  brain 
was  refreshed  by  a  rain  of  healthful  tears.  "When  the  parox- 
ysm was  over,  I  was  too  weak  and  worn  for  thought  or  conver- 
sation, and  fell  asleep,  my  hand  in  Aunt  Ellen's.  She  sat  by 
me  at  my  awakening  in  the  morning,  in  the  dress  she  had  worn 
at  the  funeral.     Remorseful  at  my  selfish  cruelty,  I  started  up. 

"  Dear  Aunt  Ellen  !     I  have  kept  you  up  all  night !  " 

"  Not  you,  Brownie  !     The  Lord  does  not  give  sleep  to  eyes 


406  SDNNYBANK. 

so  overweary  with  tears  as  are  mine.  That  I  could  watch  over 
your  rest  was  the  one  comfort  of  my  night.  You  are  all  I  have 
to  live  for.  My  Lynns  are  together  now,  but  they  have  left 
me  very  desolate  !  very  desolate  !  " 

"  God's  will  be  done  !  "  said  Mamma's  voice  behind  us.  "I 
have  lain  awake  for  hours  past,  thinking  of  the  blessed  truth 
contained  in  one  little  clause  of  a  text  — '  ivJio  spared  not  His 
own  Son.' " 

From  that  moment  no  one  has  heard  a  desponding  word  from 
her.  Every  duty  is  discharged  with  punctilious  fidelity.  She 
has  loving  tones  and  sayings  for  husband  and  children ;  kind 
counsel  for  those  who,  nominally  free,  are  still  her  dependants 
and  co-laborers  ;  hopeful  predictions  for  the  discouraged  and 
suffering.  It  matters  not  that  many  of  the  latter  passed  by  on 
the  other  side,  or,  like  poor  Miss  Hetty  Stratton,  lingered  near 
only  to  upbraid  and  taunt,  in  our  days  of  deepest  affliction. 
There  is  no  room  for  animosity  in  the  large,  tender  heart  of 
this  Christian  woman  and  mother.  Nerved  by  her  example,  I, 
too,  tried  to  make  of  sorrow  a  means  for  the  attainment  of 
higher  Christian  graces,  to  fasten,  in  this  gloom  of  the  night- 
time, upon  the  Chastener's  hand,  that  I  might  be  led  whither 
He  would  have  me  go.     I  prayed,  — 

"  Nearer,  my  God  !  to  Thee, 
Nearer  to  Thee  — 
E'en  though  it  be 
A  cross  that  raiseth  me  !  '* 

But  I  fainted  daily  under  my  secret  burden.  For,  since 
Lynn's  death,  Harry's  name  had  not  been  spoken  in  my  hear- 
ing. I  questioned  myself  incessantly  as  to  the  reality  of  his 
appearance.  I  might  have  persuaded  myself  finally  that  the 
interview  I  had  witnessed  was  a  hallucination,  but  for  the 
changes  I  had  noted  in  his  face  and  figure  —  the  imprint  of 
suffering,  severe  and  continued  —  whereas,  until  then,  I  had 
remembered  him  in  the  full  strength  of  his  manhood,  alert  and 
vigorous  in  health  and  spirits.  He  had  returned  from  the  dead, 
then  !     He  lived,  but  he  loved  me  no  longer  !     Else,  he  would 


SUNNYBANK.  407 

not  have  come  and  gone  from  my  sight  without  look  or  token 
that  he  saw  me,  and  rejoiced  in  our  reunion.  Else,  those  who 
loved  me  best  would  not  preserve  this  significant  silence  with 
regard  to  his  resurrection  ;  the  services  he  had  rendered  my 
brothers ;  the  touching  farewell  of  our  lost  one  to  him  he  had 
once  esteemed  his  enemy.  And  I  was  starving  —  yet  could 
not  syllable  an  inquiry  that  might  break  the  spell.  I  could  not 
ask,  "  Has  he  ceased  to  care  for  me?"  I  said  to  myself  that 
I  knew  already  what  would  be  the  inevitable  reply.  Yet  to 
have  the  truth  confirmed  by  other  lips  would  have  killed  me. 
I  was  very  nearly  mad  at  that  period  of  my  life  —  short  in 
truth,  endless  in  seeming  —  or  I  must  have  cleared  up  the 
dread  mystery  in  some  manner. 

I  slept  in  Aunt  Ellen's  room  now.  I  had  grown  cowardly 
nervous  of  darkness  and  solitude.  One  moonlight  night,  when 
neither  of  us  could  sleep  for  thoughts  of  the  grave  on  w^hich 
•the  white  light  was  shining,  she  began  to  tell  me  some  incidents 
of  her  early  life,  with  which  recollections  of  her  lover  were 
intertwined. 

Pausing  abruptly  in  her  story,  she  said,  "  Brownie !  pride 
was  the  bane  of  my  happiness  !  What  made  you  cast  away  the 
last  chance  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Aunt  Ellen  !  "  I  ejaculated,  amazedly. 

"  There  should  be  no  foolish  reserves  between  us,  child ! 
You  would  never  have  thought  of  marrying  Rolf  Kingston  had 
you  not  believed  Harry  Wilton  to  be  dead.  Why  then  did  you 
reject  one  who  loved  you,  and  whom  you  still  loved  when  he 
wrote  to  tell  you  that  he  was  alive  and  constant  ?  " 

I  could  not  keep  back  the  heart-breaking  confession. 

"  Oh,  Aunt !  "  I  cried,  clinging  to  her  and  bursting  into  tears. 
"  He  never  wrote  me  one  line  !  I  did  not  know  he  was  alive 
until  I  saw  him  at  Lynn's  death-bed  I  " 

She  tore  my  arms  from  their  hold  —  pushed  me  from  her 
that  vshe  might  examine  my  countenance  in  the  moonlight. 

"  Is  this  true,  Elinor  Lacy?" 

"  It  is  !  "    I  answered.      "  And  you  —  Papa  —  Mamma  — 


408  sunnyba:>:k. 

Ross  —  everybody  —  have  nearly  killed  me  by  your  silence  wben 
I  was  longing  for  the  mere  sound  of  his  name  !  " 

"  I  see  it  all !  "  she  ejaculated,  deliberately. 

She  arose,  lighted  the  lamp,  opened  her  writing-desk,  and 
dashed  off  a  note  of  perhaps  a  dozen  lines  ;  directed  and  sealed 
it,  and  looked  at  her  watch. 

"  Four  hours  to  daylight !     Fool !  fool  and  blind  !  " 

I  watched  her  in  perplexity  and  some  alarm.  She  acted  and 
talked  like,  one  bereft  of  reason.  Suddenly,  she  came  back  to 
the  bedside,  took  my  hand  in  hers,  and  knelt  upon  the  floor. 

"  Brownie  !  look  into  my  eyes.  I  am  awake  and  sensible  at 
last !  Harry  Wilton  was  carried  off  among  the  Confederate 
wounded  from  the  battle-field.  For  fifteen  months  he  lan- 
guished in  one  of  the  pest-houses  they  called  prisons,  at  Salis- 
bury. He  was  released  last  December.  He  wrote  to  you 
repeatedly  after  his  return  to  the  North.  It  was  not  surpris-" 
ing  that  he  should  receive  no  reply  to  these  letters,  for  it  was  a 
difficult  and  uncertain  enterprise  to  send  letters  through  the 
lines.  I  kuow  they  never  reached  you.  But  when  the  way 
•was  open,  he  wrote  ouce  more,  asking  leave  to  visit  you.  This 
letter  was  sent  to  Richmond,  and  he  had  an  answer ! " 

*'  Not  from  me  !  "  I  said,  eagerly. 

"  I  believe  you,  and  I  mean  that  he  shall !  If  I  can  unite 
two  tried  and  loving  hearts,  it  may  atone  —  it  may  lighten  ray 
exceeding  weight  of  anguish.  Lay  your  head  on  my  shoulder, 
dear,  and  let  me  tell  you  all  you  wish  to  hear." 

I  shorten  the  recital  —  not  that  I  have  forgotten  any  portion 
of  it,  but  because  I  remember  it  so  well.  Harry  was  the  in- 
strument of  my  brother's  liberation.  He  had  petitioned  for  this 
in  person,  and  himself  been  the  messenger  that  bore  to  them 
the  welcome  tidings  of  release.  He  watched  with  Ross  by 
Lynn's  pillow  during  his  illness  ;  he  helped  carry  him  to  the 
boat,  and  remove  him  from  his  state-room  to  the  carriage 
that  was  to  bring  him  to  us.  He  was  the  messenger  who  vol- 
unteered to  take  that  lonely  night-ride  to  Sunnybauk  that  Papa 
and  Mamma  might  be  apprised  of  the  condition  of  their  dying 


SUNNYBANK.  409 

boy.  At  his  request,  the  brothers  and  Uncle  Charley  had 
refrained  from  allusions  to  him  in  their  letters  to  Virginia.  He 
wished  to  announce  himself,  he  said,  when  he  first  spoke  of  it. 
Afterward  he  told  Ross  that  he  had  had  an  answer  to  a  letter 
he  had  written  me. 

"  Which  "  —  to  use  his  words  —  "  has  put  an  end  to  what- 
ever hope  I  may  have  cherished  of  her  continued  regard  for 
me.  I  only  ask  now  that  you  will  not  annoy  her  by  any  allu- 
sions to  me  or  our  former  intercourse.  When  she  sees  fit,  she 
may  tell  you  why  she  has  rejected  me." 

Ross  and  Lynn,  remembering  their  opposition  to  the  union 
they  now  desired  should  take  place,  the  report  of  Harry's 
death,  and  my  subsequent  engagement  to  Rolf,  of  which  they 
had  heard  through  our  letters,  agreed  privately  that  they  ought 
to  have  foreseen  what  would  probably  be  the  tenor  of  my  reply, 
and  prepared  Harry  for  it.  Yet  Lynn  had  revealed  the  circum- 
stances of  Harry's  visit  and  brotherly  kindness  to  them  in  a 
letter  to  Agatha  written  the  day  before  he  fell  ill,  and  Uncle 
Charley  had  dwelt  upon  the  same  subject  at  length  in  a  letter 
to  Papa.  • 

"  Which  was  lost,  you  recollect,"  said  Aunt  Ellen. 

"  But  why  did  Agatha  conceal  the  news  she  had  received?" 
I  asked. 

"  That  is  a  question  which  remains  to  be  solved,"  rejoined 
Aunt  Ellen.  "  There  are  depths  of  villany  which  you  are  not 
expected  to  fathom." 

This  observation  made  me  notice  Agatha's  startled  expression 
at  breakfast,  the  following  morning,  when  Mamma  replied  to 
my  query  after  Ross,  "  He  has  gone  to  Richmond,  my  dear." 

"  Ah  ! "  exclaimed  Agatha,  glancing  up.  "Wasn't  that  a  sud- 
den-movement ?  " 

"  It  was  a  foolishly  delayed  one ! "  returned  Aunt  Ellen, 
shortly  ;   and  there  the  matter  rested. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the   succeeding  day,  I  walked  do^vn  to 
the  burying-ground  with  fresh  flowers  for  Lynn's  grave.    It  was 
a  still,  bright  hour  —  the  sunset  of  a  lovely  June  day.    The  wil- 
35 


410  SUNNYBANK. 

low  tent  was  thick  and  green  above  me  ;  the  grassy  carpet  soft 
and  rich ;  the  ivied  wall  a  compact  bank  of  verdure.  I  dis- 
posed my  flowers  as  I  had  intended  to  do,  sat  down  upon  the 
turf  beside  my  brother's  grave,  and  rested  my  forehead  upon  it. 
I  was  not  happy  even  with  the  renewed  faith  in  Harry's  love 
implanted  by  Aunt  Ellen's  story.  I  had  walked  in  the  shadowed 
valley  for  so  long  that  I  had  forgotten  how  to  be  glad.  What- 
ever of  delight  the  Future  might  have  in  st^Dre  for  me,  nothing 
could  remove  the  sombre  background  of  war  and  bloodshed, 
and  the  tombs  of  the  loved  and  brave.  Misguided  they  may 
have  been ;  sincere  they  assuredly  were.  To  the  merciful 
Judge  of  all  it  belongs  to  say  how  many  or  how  few  were  guilty 
of  wilful  wrong-doing.  My  brother  was  not  of  this  number. 
His  error  was  of  the  head.  If  he  loved  his  State  too  well,  it 
was  not  that  he  did  not  love  his  Nation.  Mourn  over  the  un- 
happy issue  between  the  two  he  did,  even  while  he  believed  that 
he  ought  to  fight  to  save  his  Motherland  from  conquest,  his 
home  from  plunder,  his  sister  from  insult.  Feeling  thus,  he 
battled  with  those  whom  the  war  had  made  to  be  his  enemies ; 
feeling  thus,  he  died,  saying,  almost  with  his  parting  breath,  "  I 
thought  I  was  right !     Ah,  well !  God  knows  !  " 

My  brave,  noble,  gentle-hearted  brother  !  If  I  could  have 
died  in  his  stead  !  If  this  strong,  beautiful  staff  could  have 
been  spared  to  his  father's  declining  years,  to  his  mother's  yearn- 
ing heart ! 

I  had  not  heard  footsteps  upon  the  velvet  of  the  grass.  Yet 
arms  were  about  me  to  raise  my  bowed  head  to  another  resting- 
place  ;  kisses,  and,  at  the  last,  a  gi'eat  tear  or  two  fell  upon  my 
brow,  cheek,  and  lips.  Harry  had  come,  and  he  believed  in 
me  now ! 

We  were  a  long  while  in  that  sanctuary  of  the  dead.  It  was 
not  profanation  to  speak  there  of  love  like  ours.  When  the  dew 
fell  heavily,  Harry  forbade  my  lingering  longer  out  of  doors. 
We  were  leaving  the  enclosure  w4ien  he  perceived  the  grave  of 
the  Federal  soldier.  Papa  had  erected  a  white  head-board  to 
mark  the  spot,  and  written  upon  it  the  poor  fellow's  name,  age, 


SUNNYBANK.  411 

and  regiment.  I  had  laid  flowers  tliere  when  I  decked  the 
mound  above  Lynn.  Harry  stepped  aside  to  read  the  inscrip- 
tion, and  to  press  his  hand,  in  reverent  affection,  upon  the  swell- 
ing turf. 

"  Brother  in  arms  !  "  he  said  ;  and  then  to  me,  pointing  to  the 
flowers,  "  Thank  you  for  these  !  Merrill  wrote  to  you  of  his 
discovery  that  I  was  a  prisoner  —  not  killed." 

''  I  never  received  the  letter  !  "  I  interrupted. 

"  No,  love !  Letters  seldom  reached  their  destination  at 
that  time.  But  the  faithful  sergeant  did  write,  and  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  to  send  his  communication  to  you.  His 
was  one  of  the  first  faces  I  saw  after  my  exchange.  He  was 
on  board  the  transport  that  received  us.  I  was  in  a  pitiable 
plight  —  but  we  will  not  talk  of  that.  He  became  my  especial 
attendant.  I  owe  my  life,  under  God,  to  his  care  and  nursing. 
The  best  cordial  he  gave  me  was  tidings  of  you.  For  days  he 
kept  me  alive  —  this  is  fact,  Brownie !  by  stories  of  you ; 
your  sweet  offices  in  his  behalf,  and  your  unabated  aflection  for 
me.  When  I  was  able  I  visited  the  mother  of  him  who  lies 
over  there,  and  she  showed  me  your  letter.  I  copied  it  for  her, 
and  she  gave  me  the  original,  for  I  told  her  how  I  loved  the 
writer." 

We  were  in  the  garden  now,  in  a  retired  walk,  edged  with 
rose-trees,  white  and  red. 

"  Sunnybank  holds  its  own  !  "  said  Harry,  looking  up  at  the 
belvidere,  gilded  by  the  latest  yellow  sun-rays.  "  How  often, 
while  in  prison,  I  dreamed  of  this,  our  favorite  path  —  inhaled 
the  perfume  of  the  roses  and  syringas  !  " 

He  stopped  short,  and  took  from  his  pocket  an  envelope. 

"  Can  you  guess  who  sent  me  this?  " 

It  was  a  sprig  of  orange  blossoms,  dry  and  scentless. 

"Is  it  the  one  I  gave  you?" J[  asked. 

He  replied  in  precisely  the  same  words — "Is  it  the  one  I 
gave  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  I.     "  I  have  mine  still." 

"  Yet  this  was  the  reply  to  the  letter  in  which  I  begged 


412  SUNNYBANK. 

permission  to  visit  you.  Do  you  know,  now,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  it?" 

He  showed  me  the  superscription  of  the  envelope. 

"  That  is  a  poor  imitation  of  my  writing,"  I  said.  "  It  is 
more  like " 

I  checked  myself. 

"  So  I  think  now  !  So  I  ought  to  have  thought  when  I  re- 
ceived it." 

"  We  will  let  it  pass  !  "  I  said,  hastily. 

"  For  the  present  —  yes  !  " 

*'  Will  you  not  throw  that  away?"  I  prayed,  as  he  returned 
the  dried  spray  to  the  envelope. 

"  Ko,  dearest !     It  has  a  purpose  to  serve." 

I  did  not  press  him  for  explanation.  If  more  tender  and  lov- 
injr  than  ever,  he  was  still  firm  —  still  masterful.  How  natu- 
rally  the  old  epithet  came  to  my  mind  in  looking  at  and  hearing 
him  !  Oh  !  the  exquisite  sense  of  rest  that  stole  through  every 
nerve,  and  fibre,  and  thought,  as  I  leaned  my  whole  weight 
upon  him,  gave  myself  up  once  more  to  be  cared  for  and  guided 
by  his  strong  heart  and  will !  Another  surprise  awaited  me  at 
the  house.  Upon  the  piazza,  talking  with  Uncle  Will,  with 
Mammy  hovering  about  him,  as  a  mother-hen  rejoices  over  a 
recovered  bantling,  was  Sergeant  Merrill.  When  our  joyous 
salutations  were  over,  I  observed  another  man,  a  stranger, 
dressed,  like  Mr.  Merrill,  in  the  Federal  uniform,  standing  some 
paces  off,  and  watching  me  keenly. 

"  This  is  my  friend,  Mr.  Clark,  Miss  Lacy,"  remarked  the 
Sergeant.  "  I  intrusted  a  letter  for  you  to  him,  but  he  blun- 
dered in  delivering  it  —  an  unusual  thing  for  him  to  do.  Did 
you  ever  lay  eyes  on  this  lady  before,  Dick?" 

*'  Never,  I  am  sorry  to  say  !  "  was  the  reply,  too  curt  to  be 
taken  as  a  mere  compliment.       , 

"  We  will  talk  about  that  by  and  by,"  said  Harry,  leading 
me  away. 

Agatha  did  not  appear  at  supper-time.  Mamma  sent  up 
to  say  that  we  were  at  the  table,  and  had  a  reply  to  the  effect 


SUNNYBANK.  413 

that  "  she  begged  to  be  excused.  Her  head  was  aching 
violently." 

"  Rachel,"  ordered  Mamma  audibly,  as  Mammy  passed  the 
door,  "  step  up  stairs,  and  say  to  Miss  Agatha  that  I  wish  to 
speak  with  her  after  a  while.  If  she  is  not  well  enough  to 
come  down  stairs,  I  will  go  to  her  room." 

"When  Harry  and  I  went  up  stairs  on  our  way  to  the  study, 
soon  after  supper,  we  met  her  on  the  landing.  She  drew  aside 
her  black  drapery,  and  stood  still  to  let  us  pass.  Her  eyes 
gleamed  luridly ;  her  cheek  was  crimson ;  her  head  high  and 
haughty.  She  looked  steadfastly  into  Harry's  face  as  he  ap- 
proached her,  and  he  into  hers.  -  There  was  no  sign  of  recogni- 
tion from  either.  I  was  determined  to  speak,  and  I  resisted  his 
gentle  impulse  onward.  She  was  lonely,  forsaken,  despised  —  I, 
affluent  in  blessings.  She  had  wronged  me  cruelly,  and  with- 
out provocation  from  me ;  but  I  could  not  dislike  her  while 
Lynn's  pleading  voice  followed  me.  "  Be  kind  to  this  poor 
child  when  I  am  gone  !  "  She  had  suffered ;  she  was  in  tor- 
ment now,  and  direr  humiliation  awaited  her. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  are  not  well  to-night !  "  I  said  tim- 
idly —  perhaps  awkwardly. 

She  seemed  to  tower  yet  farther  above  me.  The  intolerable 
light  of  her  eyes  scorched  my  vision. 

"  Pity  from  you  !  from  you  I "  she  repeated,  in  intensest  scorn. 
"  I  am  not  yet  reduced  to  that !  "  and  swept  down  the  staircase. 

I  could  not  sleep  that  night  until  Mamma  came  to  my  room 
with  the  particulars  of  the  decisive  interview.  She  had  talked 
alone  with  the  unhappy  girl.  She  denied  nothing  of  which  she 
was  accused ;  admitted,  in  reply  to  Mamma's  questions,  that 
she  had  personated  me  to  the  scout  Clark  ;  in  this  character  ob- 
tained Mr.  Merrill's  despatch  to  myself ;  and  that  she  had  labored 
sedulously,  from  that  moment,  to  conceal  from  me  the  fact  that 
Harry  still  lived.  Carleton  Dana  had  given  her  four  letters, 
one  of  which  she  had  concealed,  and  afterward  read  and  de- 
stroyed. She  had  enclosed  the  faded  flowers  to  Harry  in  reply, 
having  kept  them  by  her  a  long  while  in  anticipation  of  this 
35* 


414  SUNNYBANK. 

opportunity.  In  pursuance  of  her  system  of  concealment,  she 
had  likewise  purloined  the  letter  from  Uncle  Charley  to  Papa, 
foreseeing  tliat  its  contents  might  frustrate  her  scheme.  She  had 
played  recklessly  and  desperately,  and  she  had  lost  all. 

"  What  had  Elinor  done  that  you  should  hate  and  injure 
her  ?  "  inquired  Mamma. 

'•  She  has  done  me  the  foulest  wrong  woman  can  endure  from 
woman,"  she  rejoined.  "She  has  rohbed  me  of  all  I  cared  for 
in  Hfe ! " 

Then  she  became  inflexibly  sullen,  and  refused  to  say  more. 

She  kept  her  room  while  Harry  remained  with  us.  Before 
we  were  married  she  removed  to  Richmond,  having  engaged 
board  in  a  respectable  private  family  in  that  place.  She  has  no 
maintenance  except  the  rent  of  Hay  ridge.  The  few  thousands 
Lynn  possessed  were  invested  in  state  and  bank  stocks,  which 
up  to  this  time  have  yielded  no  returns.  Papa  interested  him- 
self to  procure  a  good  tenant  for  Hayridge,  and  the  nominal 
rent,  paid  over  punctually  in  quarterly  instalments  to  Agatha,  far 
exceeds  the  real  sum  collected  by  Papa.  Without  suspecting  it, 
she  is  still  his  beneficiary.  He  will  not  let  her  suffer  want 
while  he  lives,  for  Lynn  loved  her. 

Our  marriage  was  a  very  quiet  affair.  The  Danas  were  all 
here,  with  Colonel  Copeland  and  Mr.  Merrill.  But  none  of  the 
neighbors  were  bidden,  and  my  white  muslin  was  the  only  one 
in  the  room.  Harry  asked  me  to  wear  white  during  the  cere- 
mony. That  evening,  we  left  the  company  long  enough  to  go 
down  together  to  the  enclosure  at  the  foot  of  the  garden,  where 
I  laid  my  bouquet  of  orange  blossoms,  with  myrtle  and  pure, 
snowy  roses,  upon  Lynn's  grave. 

We  talk  little  of  the  events  of  the  four  years'  war.  Why 
should  we,  when  the  living  present  is  thronged  with  duties,  and 
Hope  is  ever  pointing  to  the  reward  of  labor  done  for  the  love 
of  man  and  of  God?  Harry's  health  renders  a  residence  in 
the  country  advisable  ;  but  were  this  not  so,  he  would  still  seek 
out  some  employment  near  Sunnybank,  that  our  parents  might 
not  be  deprived  of  another  of  their  children.    Ross  has  returned 


SUNNYBANK.  415 

to  the  city.  Harry  has  taken  Lynn's  place  here.  He  is  a  wise 
manager  —  says  Papa.  Mamma  calls  him  "  my  son,"  as  she 
does  Ross  —  as  she  used  to  say  yet  more  frequently  and 
fondly  to  our  "  mother's  boy."  To  me  —  wondering  at,  when 
I  am  not  incredulous  of  the  reality  of,  my  great  happiness  — 
he  is  — 

"  Not  half  so  good  a  husband  as  my  peerless  wife  deserves  ! 

(Signed)  Harry." 


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♦'  It  is  a  story  of  surpassing  excellence — its  scene  laid  in  the  sunny  South,  about  half  a 
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"  In  all  the  characteristics  of  a  powerful  novel  it  wiU  compare  favorably  with  the  best 
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•"Nemesis'  is,  by  far,  the  best  American  novel  published  for  very  many  years.— PAtZ* 
(idelphia  Press. 

*'  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  former  works  of  this  authoress  have  been  republished 
in  England,  France,  and  Germany— indeed,  no  other  American  female  writer  has  the 
honor  of  a  republication  in  the  Leipzig  issues  of  Alphonse  Durr,  which  embraces  Bryant, 
LongfeUow,  Hawthorne,  and  Prescott."— iV  Y.  Home  Journal. 

"  Marion  Harland,  by  intrinsic  power  of  character,  drawing  and  descriptive  facility 
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""We  have  read  the  book  with  uncommon  interest.  The  tale  is  well  told,  and  its  de- 
velopment is  natural  It  is  intended  to  illustrate  the  trials  and  triumphs  of  a  young  wife, 
in  maintaining  her  principles  against  thf  intolerance  of  the  open  communion  friends  of 
her  husband ;  and  this  is  done  so  as  to  preserve  unfailing  freshness  in  the  narrative,  and 
to  throw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  principles  and  practices  of  the  Baptist  denomination.  AVe 
expect  to  hear  that  the  book  wUl  have  multitudes  of  readers.' ' — New  York  Examiner. 

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tion."— Reliffiotis  Herald. 

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of  the  story.  Annt  Perjgii,  an  old,  pious,  shrewd  domestic,  and  a  Baptist  all  over,  inside 
and  outside,  with  strong  faith  in  the  promises  and  providence  of  God.  She  talks,  looks, 
and  acts  like  a  pious  slave  of  an  elevated  Christian  character,  and  is  aUowed  great  liberties 
with  Christian  people.  Talk  about  the  negro  caricatures  in  'Uncle  Tom's  Cabin!  ^  Ihe 
authoress  of  '  Grace  Truman'  was  bom  and  brought  up  with  this  race,  and  enjoying  a 
chastened  as  well  as  a  luxuriant  imagination,  has  drawn  truthful  and  life-like  characters 
in  all  her  portraits.  This  book  should  be  extensively  circulated.  Pastors  should  see  to 
it  that  it  goes  into  every  Baptist  family." — Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  D.D. 

SONGS  AND  BALLADS  FOR  THE  HOME 
AND  HOUSEHOLD. 

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